A Crisis in Paris
by MadCow77
Summary: Marinette wakes up and discovers that her world has changed. Her Miraculous and her kwami are missing, while her relationship with her closest friends are different. But some things remain the same: Hawk Moth still terrorises the citizens of Paris. As if things couldn't get any worse, she finds out that another Ladybug works alongside with Chat Noir as the city's protectors.
1. Strange Beginnings

**Disclaimer** : I do not own anything, except for whatever the Organisation for Transformative Works says I might own. Thomas Astruc owns Miraculous Ladybug (or, depending on where you are, Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat/Chat Noir).

* * *

 **Chapter 1: Strange Beginnings**

Marinette Dupain-Cheng groggily reached for her buzzing phone to silence it. Unable to find the snooze button by muscle memory alone, she pulled the device to her face and, noticing the time, immediately shot up and out of bed. She was wide awake when she glanced around the room and looked for her ever-present companion. "Tikki, why didn't you wake me up?"

Silence. It was not like Tikki at all to be the one to sleep in for so long but after a casual search of the room, she couldn't find the red spotted kwami anywhere. She soon heard the muffled voice of her mother from downstairs. "Marinette, are you up yet? You're going to be late for school."

"I'm up, maman!" Marinette continued to search her room but for the life of her, she could not spot her little companion anywhere. Not only was her kwami missing, but her room had changed overnight. The pictures of Adrien Agreste that she knew should have been plastered all over her walls were missing. A sense of dread slowly crept over her when she realised another missing item from her inventory: she wasn't wearing her earrings at all.

She lurched towards her desk like a hungry animal on top of the last bit of remaining food in the world and pulled the drawers open. She began sifting through her belongings, frantically shuffling things around but despite her best effort, she could not find the small, ornate wooden box that housed her Miraculous. She yanked the drawers out from the dresser and hastily emptied the contents onto the floor. She dropped to her knees and went over her scattered personal possessions over and over in a state of panic.

"What is that ruckus up there?" Sabine asked, her voice sounding clearer than the last. Moments later, Marinette heard footsteps going up the stairs leading to her room.

"I-It's nothing, maman. I just dropped something," Marinette said.

"All right and be careful, dear. Please come down as soon as you are ready." Her footsteps died down moments later.

Marinette heaved a sigh. She bent down to scoop her belonging up and deposited them all into the nearest open drawer. She would sort the things out later, but she had more pressing matters at hand. _All right, don't panic_ , she thought. _I'm sure there's a pretty good explanation for all this. Think, Marinette. What happened last night?_

She shook her head from left to right at the realisation that she couldn't remember what she had done yesterday. There were vague memories of school work and its related activities, but she couldn't even recall what she had for dinner. She pressed her hand to her forehead, feeling for an imaginary bump or even a rise in temperature. _Did I get hurt or sick? Why can't I remember?_

"Marinette? Are you ready yet? School starts in ten—"

"I'm almost ready, maman!" Marinette packed her things with haste and then rushed to get dressed. She raced down the stairs towards the kitchen and grabbed the sandwich that her mother had left on the table. "Mama, have you see my earrings anywhere?"

"I didn't know you wore earrings," Sabine said.

"But I've always—" Marinette's jaw hung loose when her brain had finally processed exactly what her mother meant. _That's impossible. I've always worn my earrings since I became Ladybug. What is going on here?_

For a moment, she felt as if time had literally stopped around her. Everything stood at a standstill as her mind processed everything that had transpired in just a single morning alone. Tikki was missing. Her Miraculous was gone, as if it never even existed. And now here she was, rushing off to school without being given any time at all to get to the bottom of it.

"Marinette?"

Her mother's voice snapped her out of her somewhat panicked and confused state. "I-It's nothing, mama. I probably dreamt about earrings, that's all. See you tonight!"

Marinette stuffed the sandwich in her mouth and left the kitchen. As she passed her father at the counter, she gave him a goodbye wave. Once outside, she ran. She didn't understand why she was running so fast. At first she attributed it to her tardiness; school had probably already started, after all. However, she could not explain the sudden yet strangely familiar sense of sadness and guilt that gripped her heart. The pain in her chest was most certainly real, yet when she searched her thoughts for an explanation, she came up empty. A single tear trickled down the side of her cheek as she ran.

* * *

Marinette was getting ready cross the road at the nearby park when a car literally fell from the sky and crashed onto the asphalt. She literally jumped as the shock of the impact could be felt from nearly a block away, causing a huge commotion all round. People who felt the crash became worried while those who actually witnessed the incident screamed in panic. It was utter chaos as a terrified crowd dispersed chaotically from the scene.

Instincts took over and Marinette ducked into a nearby side street. She parted the left side of her hair and began to say the words she was so used to saying. "Tikki, transform—"

She could not finish those words. The shocking truth hit her the second time, striking at her heart much harder than before. Her legs went weak. She sank to the ground while her hands clutched at her chest. She hung her head down and stared at her shaking hands. _What is going on?_ She thought. _Why is this happening to me? Tikki, I miss you so much._

A loud stomp snapped Marinette out of her thoughts. A large, armoured figure in red had landed on the street barely a stone's throw away from her, creating a small crater where it stood. Spiky bits and skull motifs were embellished prominently all over the armour. Skulls and crossbones also hung from its oversized shoulder pads. The figure turned and stared at her through the demonic visage that was its helmet. It waved a large, menacing axe in her direction. "Blood for the Blood God!"

"The only blood you're gonna get is coming from that fat ass of yours!" A small, red spotted yo-yo wrapped around the armoured figure's leg. The string became taut, hauling the attached limb upward. The entire figure jerked forward and came crashing down face-first into the pavement, leaving its rear end exposed.

A spotted red figure—Ladybug—dropped down from above, twirling her yo-yo in one hand somewhat smugly. She had shoulder-length reddish-brown wavy hair and a tanned complexion. She turned her head to look over her shoulder at Marinette. "Girl, you had better get a move on before things get messy."

"W-What?" Marinette could only stare at this… _different_ … Ladybug.

"Coming through!" another familiar voice called out. The black, cat-like figure of Chat Noir came racing past with his baton extended and held over his shoulder like a baseball bat. With a mighty swing, he smacked the armoured figure right on its exposed rear end. The force of impact causing it to physically slide several feet forward. "A chaos space marine? Now that's just too Khorne-y."

"Well, he sure had the foresight to keep his eyes on the road," Ladybug replied.

Chat Noir slapped his partner on the back. "Not nearly enough to avoid getting rear-ended, apparently."

A part of Marinette wanted to roll her eyes as the two heroes of Paris giggled at each other's quips, but she was mostly in shock at the scene that had just played out before her very eyes. There was a smart-talking Ladybug that paired seemingly so well with the equally talkative Chat Noir. Not to mention that their takedown of that Akumatised victim seemed a bit too heavy-handed for a person who wasn't really acting as themselves. It was all too much; as the one-sided battle continued, she easily slipped out of the side lane and sprinted towards her school. _At least I've got an excuse for being late this time_ , she thought.

Once inside the front doors, Marinette leaned up against the wall. She was already shaking and gasping for breath. A sudden sensation of dread and guilt overcame her senses. It made her weak in the knees. She had to bend down and clutch at her knees just to keep standing. _What is this thing that I am feeling? Where is it coming from?_

Marinette stayed at the same spot for several minutes to rest and regain her composure. She was already late for class so just another few minutes probably shouldn't matter. Once she was sure that she could walk again, she gingerly went up the stairs that led to her classroom. She pushed the door open with trepidation and poked her head inside. Their homeroom teacher wasn't in yet. Most of her classmates looked the same as she had remembered, except for the fact that Chloé Bourgeois was sitting at her seat with Sabrina beside her. The front row was mostly empty except for Nino, who perked up upon noticing her entry.

"Morning, Mari." He waved at her and smiled. "We just heard that there was another Akuma attack. Did you know anything about it?"

Marinette stepped into the classroom and made her way towards the empty row towards the right side of class. Nino seemed to be in a chipper mood as he turned his head to follow Marinette's entry. As she walked past the boy, she paused briefly and said, "Yeah, I saw it. It was pretty shocking, actually."

"Really? Thank goodness you're here in one piece." Nino continued to watch her as she took the spot in between the empty seats of Adrien Agreste and Alya Césaire.

"Where are those two?" Marinette looked to her right at Alya's spot, and then turned to the left to check the empty seat beside Nino. She threw a glance behind her shoulder. When her gaze met with Chloé's, the mayor's daughter turned away with an uppity huff while Sabrina simply sneered. _Well, at least some things haven't changed_.

"Oh, you know them. Late again, as usual." Nino shrugged. "But at least today they can blame it on the Akuma attack."

"Wait, they're always late for class like this?"

Nino raised his eyebrows and pushed his glasses up. "They've always been late since like, for ever, dude. Are you sure you're fully awake, Mari?"

She shook her head and slumped onto her desk, burying her face in her arms. "Y-yeah, I guess I'm just tired."

"You know if you're feeling under the weather, I've got just the place we can go after school."

Marinette raised her head and blinked. She wasn't quite sure how to handle this overly-casual Nino. _Did he think that he and I were… a thing?_ She quickly shut the thought out of her mind and returned to her face-burying ritual. "Sorry Nino, but not today. I'm just—just really not myself." _Literally_ , she thought, but she made sure not to accidentally say it out loud.

Moments later the door swung open. Adrien and Alya shuffled into the class and headed straight for their seats. Alya placed a hand on Marinette's shoulder as she took her seat beside her. "Are you okay, girl? You look like something a mother bird regurgitated."

Marinette lifted her head to greet her best friend. "It's nothing, Alya. I'm—"

Her jaw dropped when her gaze fell upon Alya's exposed ear. Her friend was wearing a most familiar-looking black and round earring. She blinked as the recognition sank in. It was most definitely a Miraculous. Alya was wearing her earrings. Her best friend was Ladybug.

"What's the matter, girl? Cat got your tongue?"

* * *

Marinette couldn't focus on lessons for the entire school day. While she would have liked to attribute it to her fatigue, but her mind was in fact fully active, trying to put sense into things that simply did not—and should not—have made any sense.

Alya was Ladybug. Marinette wasn't. Alya had Tikki whom Marinette thought she had lost. She kept repeating those thoughts over and over, each time trying to process and accept the information at fact but failing rather horribly at that regard. Occasionally she would snap out of her daze to the witty banter between Alya and Adrien. In the end, she was so out of it that she didn't even realise that class had already been dismissed.

"Snap out of it, girl," Alya said while she gave Marinette a light shove to the shoulder. "What's gotten into you today? Did you get bumped in the head or something?" She made a completely convincing display of covering her mouth with her hands and gasped. "Don't tell me you got into trouble after this morning's Akuma attack?"

Marinette heaved a sigh but she avoided her friend's gaze. What could she have said, what with all the strangeness that she had gone through? She hadn't a single clue about what was going on. She knew that something had to be done though – whatever that something was. _If there was any sort of conspiracy to get to the bottom of, I'll bet that a supervillain and Hawk Moth is involved_ , she thought. _There can't be any other reason why all this was happening_.

"It's nothing, Alya. Don't worry about it. I'm just not feeling well today." She casually threw a glance over to her left; Adrien was in the middle putting his things away while Nino, on the other hand, gazed at her with such an obviously concerned look on his face. "I just want to go home and get some rest," she said with a louder tone to let Nino overhear.

"Okay, whatever you say girl, but a piece of advice, if I may?"

Marinette turned back to Alya. "Huh?"

"You've been giving Adrien those looks again. What happened to Nino, girl?" Alya leaned forward and spoke in a hushed tone. "Don't get me wrong here, you may be a good friend and all, but you know better than to try and get between us."

Marinette could only stare back at her friend. Her jaw hung loose as she struggled to get to grips with this new information. "What are you talking about, Alya? You know I would never do anything like that to you."

"Okay girl. I trust you." She gave Marinette a hefty pat to the back. "Now go get a good rest or you'll be facing the Wrath of Alya tomorrow."

Marinette offered a whimpered smile before she picked up her belongings and shuffled out of class. She threw Nino a silent "sorry" look as she walked past the boy. Once she was out through the door, she stepped up her pace and left in a hurry. When she had finally reached home, she threw herself onto her bed and buried herself under the sheets.

Later that evening, she had finally found the will to crawl out of bed and turn on her computer. She began trawling the Internet for reports on Ladybug and Chat Noir. She followed their exploits as they took down villains like Stormy Weather, the Bubbler, The Pharoah and Timebreaker—all familiar names to her—but noticeably missing was Lady Wifi. Most of the general details of the stories somewhat matched her own recollection of the events. However, based on what limited footage that she saw, this new Ladybug often took a more direct approach at problem-solving. She noticed that they had an easier time handling direct, physical opponents like The Mime and Kung Food, but supervillains with a more subversive power set such as The Puppeteer and Princess Fragrance gave them a harder time.

She also found the Ladyblog—once a thriving web log that she had often visited to catch up on what people wrote and thought about her—but it looked like the website had been abandoned shortly after the first post. Whatever links to captured footage that she found on that blog have already been removed.


	2. Masquerades

**Chapter 2: Masquerades**

When Marinette's phone alarm buzzed the next morning, she instinctively reached for her ears and tried to feel for the familiar round stones that she was so accustomed to. Her earrings weren't there, disappointingly. _Guess it wasn't just a dream_ , she thought.

With no good news to look forward to, it took her a great deal of willpower to just get out of bed and prepare for school. She had not completed even a single assignment from the day before; the rest of her school work was also left undone—something she hoped that the teachers would miss. If they did notice, she was already prepared to use sickness as an excuse, though she reminded herself to only rely on deceit as a last resort. She abhorred simply lying outright like that; she had already told all manner of falsehood ever since becoming a superhero, but at least they were for reasons that far outweighed her moral conscious. This time? Not so much.

She dragged her feet all the way down to the kitchen for breakfast. "Good morning, maman," she said as she took her a seat and let her forehead rest on the table.

"Good morning, dear. Is anything wrong?" Sabine shuffled over to the table and reached for the basket of bread, offering to help prepare her daughter's breakfast but Marinette politely declined with a wave of her hand. "Did something happen at school yesterday? Boy troubles, perhaps?"

Marinette shook her head slowly from side to side. "It's nothing, maman. I'm just feeling tired, I guess. I stayed up late working on a project." Another lie. Another tick against her conscience.

"Do you need to take a day off, away from school? We can call the school and tell them of your absence." Sabine rested her hand reassuringly on her daughter's hand.

Marinette offered a weak smile. It was all too easy to say yes and avoid all the awkwardness and the troubles that she would have to face at school, but her conscience had already begun to weigh down on her. "Thank you maman, but there's really nothing wrong. Don't worry about it."

"All right dear," Sabine said. "But you can always talk to me if you have any problems."

Her heart sank at her mother's words. She had no one to talk to about her problems. Tikki was the only one whom she could confide in and share her burden. Without her kwami, she was not whole. That emptiness in her life bit at her like a rabid mongrel and she felt hurt just thinking about it. Still, she couldn't say a single word to her mother and so she could only offer a simple and defusing "I know."

Marinette finished her breakfast in silence and left the bakery soon after, pausing by the counter only to say goodbye to her father. Despite his chipper mood, none of it would rub off on her as her burdens outweighed whatever cheerfulness that he had to offer. She closed her eyes and let the cool morning breeze brush against her cheeks as she stepped outside. The sky was clear and the sun was warm. She looked up, half-expecting to see a black butterfly fluttering above the city, perhaps even finding its way to her for all the negativity that she held in her heart, but there was none. She shrugged and marched onward to school.

During her walk, she reflected on her life as Ladybug. She missed the thrill of swinging across the city with the wind in her face. She imagined the rush of facing down powerful supervillains while her partner kept things lively with witty banter and awful puns. _What did I do to deserve this?_ she thought. _Was all this caused by an Akuma? Maybe this is what it feels like while being possessed by an Akuma. If this was really the truth then I hope Chat would hurry up and rescue me. He's always so very reliable like that_.

A sudden pang of sadness and guilt consumed her. A trickle of tears flowed down the side of her face as she felt the painful stab in her heart. She held her fist close to her chest. _There it is again. Why am I feeling like this?_ She searched her memory in vain. She hadn't a single clue what was wrong with her.

Before she had realised it, the main entrance of school was already within her sights. Nino sat at the top of the steps leading up to the main doors, rhythmically nodding his head to whatever beat was played through the pair of headphones on his head. He perked up upon seeing her approach and took off his headphones, hanging them around his neck as he offered her a smile. "Good morning, Mari. You're a bit early today. I—I uh… hope you're feeling better."

Marinette's eyes explored this strange new Nino that she had never seen before, slowly taking in his seemingly nervous and hopeful expression, his fidgeting hands, and his shuffling of feet. He was clearly both excited and worried at the same time. She wondered what was going on in his head. _Was he worried about whatever imaginary relationship he thinks we're having?_ She may not have had any answers, but she didn't want to disappoint him either—at least not without knowing what she was dealing with—so she returned his greeting with a smile of her own. "Good morning, Nino. I'm fine now. Thanks for asking."

The boy rubbed the back of his neck while his gaze fell on the sidewalk for a few moments before he spoke. "So, about that place I talked about yesterday. D-Do you still want to go today? After school, maybe?" He paused again while his eyes continued exploring his feet before adding, "We could invite Alya and Adrien too. You know, like a double date?"

 _Double date. He said double date_ , she thought. _Alya and Adrien. Me and Nino. I can't even—whatever is causing all this, it sure had a sadistic way with relationships. Would it be too much for me to just turn him down? But if Alya and Adrien were both there, maybe I can try and learn something—anything!—from the two of them_.

Marinette whipped up the best smile that she could offer in this weird circumstance—which isn't really all that much—and said, "Yes, Nino. I'd like to."

Nino's face lit up with a wide grin; he looked so happy that she immediately began to regret her decision. She felt guilty to lead him on like that. _Think of the big picture_ , she thought. _Whatever is going on here is surely more important than Nino's feelings?_

* * *

Just like the day before, Marinette wasn't paying attention in class. Besides learning that she had been paired up with Alya for some school project as well as being reminded to hand in a bunch of assignments by the end of the week, she paid no heed to the lessons and had already begun planning for her after school activities. She tried to think of a list of questions that needed answers, but she wasn't even sure if any of them were appropriate to begin with. _Can I ask even Alya how she began her life as Ladybug? What's her relationship with Adrien? Why is Adrien always with her, including being late for school together?_

At the end of the school period, Marinette wasn't any more prepared than she had already been. After most of the class had left, she gathered her belongings while waiting for her friends to get ready.

"Wherever Nino's taking us, it'd better be good," Alya said while stuffing her books into her blue and grey messenger bag.

Adrien sauntered over to Alya and leaned over towards her while resting his elbows on the table. "It had better be worth it. I am surely going to get another stern lecture from Nathalie for skipping fencing later. It'd be such a catastrophe." He made a flippant gesture with his hands for added impact.

Alya rolled her eyes and pressed her index finger on the boy's nose. "You're a sly one, aren't you? Sneaking away from his own bodyguard to go on a date?"

"Forget about the whole date thing, think of how wild this would be. It'd be the purr-fect jab at my father." Adrien made sure to roll his tongue as he emphasised the perfectness of his pun.

Alya giggled. "Oh Adrien Agreste, the child rebel. He's the cat's meow!"

Adrien made a clawing gesture at her. "Wait until you see just how he claw-some he really is!"

"Oh, you think you can capture my felines with such pawful scratching?" Alya leaned so close to the boy model, she could probably smell his breath.

All this time, Marinette sat quietly while her fists were tightly clenched underneath the table, trying to contain her growing agitation at the pair. It was all too much. If she had heard another word from either of them, she was so sure that she would have flipped the table. Causing a scene would be the last thing that she wanted on her bucket list of things to do in the midst of mysterious circumstances, so she grabbed her things and walked over to Nino. She hooked her arm around his own and began pulling him out of his seat, practically dragged him towards the door. "Let's get some fresh air, Nino. I think I'm starting to feel a bit light-headed in here."

"Uh, okay." He followed her lead without protest. "We'll be waiting outside, dudes," he managed to say to the Adrien and Alya before he was dragged outside.

Marinette sat on the steps outside the main entrance of school and watched the clouds and the birds flying overhead. _I can't believe Adrien was flirting with Alya so openly and casual like that. And what's with all the horrible cat puns?_ Her eyes widened when it had dawned to her just what those puns could actually imply. _Chat Noir loved to make horrible puns. Adrien and Alya were throwing cat puns around so casually between themselves. If Alya was Ladybug, then that could only mean that Adrien was her partner. Wait, does that mean Adrian is Chat Noir? Adrien, is Chat?_

"Hello, Earth to Marinette." Nino waved his fingers in front of her eyes and shook her out of her thoughts.

"Oh Nino, I was just thinking about Adrien," she said, and then immediately covered her mouth and froze. "Sorry, that didn't come out right. I—I mean, I thought—"

"Calm down, Mari." Nino held out both hands, motioning for her to settle down. "You seem kind of troubled."

"I'm sorry. I was just thinking…" She pinched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes. "Sorry. It's just so… uh… I mean… I don't know what to say. Sorry."

"Relax, Mari. Nothing's wrong," Nino said, trying to sound reassuring. "Well, except for the fact that you said sorry four times already. Something's definitely bothering you. Won't you tell me, please?"

Marinette heaved a sigh and buried her face in her hands. She slowly shook her head from side to side and said, "Oh Nino. Things are just so crazy and complicated right now, I've not even begun to understand and figure things out yet, let alone try to talk about it."

"Oh," Nino said in a lowered tone.

She snapped her head back up. She realised how her words could be so easily misinterpreted. "No, no, it's not what you think."

"It—it's not?" The boy looked cautiously hopeful.

"Nino, please." Marinette reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder. She met with his gaze and furrowed her brow. "You need to trust me on this. I—I just can't talk about my problems right now. But rest assured that it isn't about you at all."

"Okay." Nino nodded his head slightly.

"What have we here?" Alya walked out with her arm wrapped around Adrien's. "Alone for less than five minutes and we're getting frisky already?"

Marinette immediately pulled back, releasing her grip on the boy. "W-What are you talking about? Took you two long enough to come out. Now shall we get a move on before the day is done?"

"Yeah, let's—"

Nino could not finish his sentence for the sound of screeching rubber on asphalt, mixed with the creaking of metal on metal, alerted the four of them to a commotion nearby. A man on a motorcycle sped down the road, his machine's engines roaring as the rider twisted the throttle down to its fullest. Hot on the rider's tail was a strange floating vehicle that looked like a horizontal bar with a pair of vertical legs hanging from both ends. Thrusters built into its feet allowed it to hover and move above the ground.

The rider took a sharp corner, leaning into the curve until his knee was almost touching the ground. Once he had cleared the sharp turn, the bike roared again as it and its rider disappeared around the bend. The rider's pursuer made the turn as well, although not as elegantly. A part of its chassis scraped against the nearby buildings, shattering glass and detaching bits and pieces of rubble as it pursued its prey.

"Maybe we should postpone this date for a bit," Adrien said as he grabbed Alya's hand and took off in the direction of the hovering menace.

Marinette turned to Nino and held her hand up, gesturing for him to stay put. "I've got to go," she said before running after her friends.

"Mari, wait!"

"Sorry Nino, there's something that I have to do!" She turned around the corner just in time to see Adrien and Alya rounding another bend at the junction across the road. She angled herself forward and sprinted towards the corner but jerked to a standstill when she felt a hand grab her own from behind. A split second later, a car sped down the road, passing her so closely that she could feel the rush of wind in her face and the smell of its exhaust fumes.

"Holy shit, Mari!" Nino held on tightly to Marinette's hand and refused to let her go. "Watch where you're going. You could have been killed just now!"

"I'm—I'm sorry, Nino. I was being careless." Marinette inhaled deeply and then looked down both sides of the road. Satisfied that the road was clear this time, she crossed the road with Nino in tow. "Come on, Nino. I'm not done yet."

The two of them reached the junction where Marinette had last seen Adrien and Alya. They went around the bend but she had already lost sight of her two friends. She scanned the buildings for signs of recent entry and found none. Dissatisfied with her progress, she looked to the rooftops next, half-expecting to see two figures in red and black. When there was nothing to spot, she let out a deep sigh. "I lost them," she whispered under her breath. Despite this, she continued down the street while Nino only followed.

"All right Mari, this is crazy. What are you trying to accomplish here?"

"I—there's something I need to confirm for myself. Nino, please bear with me."

She took his silence as a reluctant sign of approval and kept on walking. She paused by store entrances to take a peek into the premises. She stared down empty alleyways and side lanes. By the time she had reached the next intersection, she was almost ready to give up. Wherever Adrien and Alya were, they would have been long gone by now.

Just when she was about to turn around and leave, a familiar red spotted lady and her black-clad companion appeared out of a side lane across the street. Ladybug swung up onto the rooftops while Chat Noir raised himself by adjusting the length of his baton. The two superheroes headed in the direction of the hovering contraption—no doubt another one of Hawk Moth's Akumatised victims—wherever it may be or whomever it was chasing.

"Holy shit, did you just see? That was Ladybug and Chat Noir!"

"Yeah, I saw them. They were right in front of me all this time." To be fair, she didn't actually have any proof to confirm her suspicions. All she had were compelling circumstances and coincidental sightings that she was more than happy to grasp at. Alya was Ladybug, and therefore Adrien must be Chat Noir. They both took off together, disappeared together, and then Ladybug and Chat Noir appeared together. _Adrien is Chat Noir_ , she thought. _I can't believe it. All this while… if—if only I had known sooner_ …

"Are you all right, Mari?" Nino tilted his head and leaned to one side, trying to place himself within her gaze.

With a sigh, Marinette locked her arm around Nino's and spun around. "Come on, Nino. Take me to that place you said you would. I think I need a break or I am going to scream."

* * *

Marinette spent the afternoon with Nino at the Arcade Street playing various beat-em up titles including the coin-op arcade version of Ultimate Mecha Strike 3. It wasn't exactly what she had expected out of Nino; she didn't peg him as the arcade-gaming type. _Perhaps he only did this for me?_

Irrespective of his motivations or interests, she needed something to cheer her up and she had Nino to thank for it. The immensely satisfying sessions of ass-kicking that the fighting games provided her was more than enough to relight a small spark within her heart. Well, that and the long queue of challengers who thought themselves worthy of defeating her. Marinette took delight in proving them all wrong.

By the time Alya and Adrien had contacted the pair to reschedule a meet up, it was already evening so they agreed to some ice cream at the nearby food centre. After the adrenaline rush of beating over two dozen challengers at Ultimate Mecha Strike 3, Marinette felt strangely calm and was not at all bothered by the incessant flirting and horrible pun-slinging between her two friends. Since realising who they were under masks, she felt like she had a better understanding of why her two friends acted as they were.

After the double date had come to a closure, Marinette thanked Nino for the wonderful time and said goodbye to her friends. She also decided to make one last stop before heading home. There were still unanswered questions that she easily held at bay while beating the digital crap out of a steady stream of challengers, but now that she was left to her own devices again, those nagging thoughts resurfaced while she had the time to consider her next move.

She walked down a familiar street in Paris and headed towards the shop of one particular eccentric Chinese healer whom she had known from another time when she was Ladybug. She knocked on the door and only had to wait for a very brief moment before she the muffled voice of an old man said, "Come in."

With some amount of trepidation, she parted the door panel and gingerly stepped into the premises. "Good evening, Master Fu. We need to talk."


	3. Master Plan

**Chapter 3: Master Plan**

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng," Master Fu said without looking up. The old man sat cross-legged on the broad white mattress that lay flat in the middle of the room. A round wooden tray lay by his side, supporting a white teapot and a set of teacups. "What brings you to a humble old healer such as myself?"

Marinette stood at the doorway and watched while the old man lifted the teapot from the tray. He brought it over to a cup and tipped the spout over the mouth of the cup. The scene felt somewhat nostalgic to her, but she reminded herself of more pressing matters to attend to. She wasn't simply here for a friendly visit. "I—I'm here to talk about a Miraculous. More specifically, Ladybug's earrings."

"Hmm." The old man started to pour a second cup of tea. Without raising his eyes, he said, "Come. Sit and have a drink with an old man."

Marinette stepped into the room and slowly closed the door behind her. Master Fu's room looked exactly the same as she had remembered it. She gingerly stepped towards the mat and then carefully sat herself down onto wooden floor with her knees together. Not too long ago Tikki lay sick on top of that very same mattress to receive the healing powers of the old man. She had come to visit him a second at the insistence of her kwami, and only then did she realise exactly who he was. Now, she sat before him for the third time and accepted a small cup of tea with both hands. She gently blew over the surface of the liquid but her eyes remained locked onto the Chinese healer sitting before her.

"I remember the day when I had chosen you to be the new Ladybug." Master Fu brought his cup up to his lips and took a sip from it. He slowly savoured the taste of tea in his mouth before swallowing the brew. "You were carrying a box of delicious macaroons with you. It was a shame that you dropped some of them."

Marinette chuckled softly. She had remembered that day all too well. She ran out into oncoming traffic to pull the old man away from immediate danger and onto the sidewalk. In the ensuing chaos, she had dropped her macaroons like the clumsy girl that she was. She hung her head down and said softly, "I remember it too."

Master Fu slowly replaced his cup on the tray by his side. All this while, his eyes remained locked upon her. "Then you can imagine my disappointment when you were overcome with self-doubt after you had failed to capture your first Akuma. Instead of learning from your mistakes, you decided that you were unworthy of the gift that I had bequeathed upon you."

Marinette's eyes widened. She raised her head and her gaze met with the old man's. "Are you telling me that I had chosen to give up my earrings?"

He nodded in silence.

"But—But to whom? Alya?" Marinette of course already knew the answer but she simply had to hear it from him. She wouldn't have believed it otherwise.

Master Fu picked up his teacup and took another sip. He closed his eyes and sighed, his head shaking slowly from side to side. "I am surprised that you do not remember. Tell me, Miss Dupain-Cheng, why are you really here?"

Marinette inhaled deeply. She had thought that she would have been prepared for all manner of responses from the old man—even something like this—but his words still bit into her deeply. She exhaled and prepared to make her plea. "I've come for your help. You see, the truth of the matter is, it wasn't supposed to happen that way. While I admit that I did nearly think of giving up after failing to properly restore the Stonehearts, but the fact is that I didn't. I never gave the earrings to anyone. In the end, it was Adr—Chat Noir who convinced me to carry on, and that was exactly what I did. I continued to fight Hawk Moth's supervillains as Ladybug. Chat Noir and I, we were such a great team together. We fought all kinds of enemies and kept the citizens of Paris safe. All this—everything you had said—shouldn't have happened. Something has gone terribly wrong and I don't even know where to begin to search for answers."

"Hmm." The old man kept his eyes closed and held his tea close to his mouth. The steam rising up from the cup swirled playfully around his nose and when he exhaled, the serpentine vapour seemingly dodged and recoiled from him. Eventually he broke the silence but only said, "Continue."

Marinette told her tale as best as she was able to. From her exploits against Stormy Weather and The Bubbler, and all the way Princess Fragrance, Jackady and Volpina, she weaved an account that was as thorough and as detailed as she could remember. She knew that her own version of events would differ from the news accounts that she had found from her research on the Internet, but she stayed true to her own interpretations. That was a point that she was trying to make: that the things she had remembered—things that should have been—were not properly reflected by this reality. After Volpina, she also mentioned a book that she had recovered from Adrien Agreste. Tikki had insisted that the book was so important that its theft was justified, if only to bring it over to Master Fu for consultation. The book held cryptic information about the various Miraculous users that needed to be deciphered; that included the Butterfly Miraculous which was currently in Hawk Moth's possession. She only stopped talking when the old man raised his hand.

"This book you speak of. Do you know where it is now?"

Marinette tilted her head slightly to one side and blinked. "You—You don't have it with you?"

"If I had it with me, I wouldn't be asking you now, would I?" The old man chuckled briefly before slurping another mouthful of tea from his cup.

She lowered her gaze and nervously toyed with her own fingers. "I—I suppose you're right."

"Hmm." The old man stroked his chin. He reached for the teapot and started pouring himself another cup of tea. "What do you think of her tale, Wayzz?"

The green turtle kwami floated out of its hiding perch from behind its master. "I can't really say, Master. Marinette's tale is, on the surface, too far-fetched to be true. However, her intimate knowledge of a great many things involving us and the Miraculouses are simply too detailed to ignore. If only we had the insight of the Peacock…"

"Unfortunately the Peacock is lost to us, as was the Butterfly until these recent times of turmoil. All we have now are the words of a girl who once held the power of Creation in her hands, only to give it up in self-doubt."

Marinette snapped back up and gaped at the old man. "What are you saying, Master? I—I didn't give up my Miraculous!"

"That is your side of… whatever happened." The old man waved his hand around in no particular pattern. "Look at it from our point of view. A girl who was once Ladybug had doubted her own worth and given up a powerful gift to her spunky friend Alya Césaire. Now there are two stories that cannot be both true at the same time. One one hand is an honest girl who finds herself in a mysterious predicament and looks for answers; on the other hand, a girl who regrets parting with a power once entrusted upon her and is now relying on deceit to reclaim what she thinks is rightfully hers. So, which one are you?"

Marinette felt as if the old man was gazing right into her soul. She shook of a feeling of dread that had been trying to creep all over her slowly. This was her life that she was fighting for; it wasn't just about some trinket that she had lost in a storm. She steeled her nerves and stared back at her wise, old mentor. "Master, I would _never_ wish for such a thing. You have to believe me!"

"Wayzz?"

"I think you bring up a good point, Master. Facts can be fabricated, no matter how detailed they may be. Until we can ascertain exactly what is going on, we cannot simply take her words for granted." The kwami spun itself to face Marinette. "I'm sorry, but will you please give us time to look into your claims first? You do understand the weight of your story and its implications if it were true."

"I suppose that is fair. But what am I supposed to do in the meantime?"

Master Fu replaced his cup and then rested his hands on his knees. He let out a deep, long sigh. "Miss Dupain-Cheng, you must continue with your present life. If you are the hero you claim to be, you will endure the trials that fate has dealt into your hand and be prepared to accept whatever comes out of it, even if this may be permanent."

Marinette shook her head. "No. I—I can't accept that. This isn't my life. I've been fighting so hard, all this while, you don't understand what it's like to—"

"I'm sorry girl, but I do understand what it's like," the old man snapped back. His stern look was enough to keep the girl quiet. "I am a hundred and eighty six years of age and the wielder of the Turtle Miraculous, so don't tell me something I don't already know."

Marinette stared down at her own cup of tea while her fingers nervously playing with the mouth of the white porcelain cup. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…"

The old man sighed again. He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "If what you say is the truth, Wayzz and I will get to the bottom of it. However, you cannot keep denying this entire life of yours while you continue to live in it. You must adapt to it or you will fall. That is my advice to you, Miss Dupain-Cheng. Whether you choose to accept it is your own decision, but bear in mind that we can only continue to help you if you are willing to accept our aid."

Marinette nodded slowly. "I understand, Master. It's just so hard to bear seeing someone else wield my Miraculous—and I see her on a daily basis."

"Even if it was your best friend?"

Marinette looked away. She had no answers to that. What was so wrong about her best friend being Ladybug instead of her? There was a dull pain in her heart, too little to really understand the reason for it but enough to know that it was there.

Wayzz hovered closer to her. He flew into her field of view and met her gaze. "Marinette, are you feeling envious, or even jealous perhaps, of Alya's status as Ladybug?"

"I—I don't know…" Marinette was shocked, not because of his words but because there was a ring of truth in them. Envy. Jealousy. Those were the feelings that Marinette could not lay a finger upon until they were brought up to her front and centre. But so what if those feelings were real? What was she fighting for all this time? In the end, she knew that she could neither deny nor fully acknowledge them. "I can't say that I can understand exactly what is going on, or why the world is completely different from the way I remembered it. However, deep down inside I know that something is very wrong and, as Ladybug, it is my duty to correct it. But at the same time, I also cannot deny the fact that there might be a hint of envy in me. After all, I am Ladybug and to think that someone else is holding that mantle now, it is only human to be envious of that fact. I suppose in the end, it is not simply a black or white case that you can just shoehorn me into; the real world is a lot more complicated than that."

Master Fu's lips slowly curled upwards into a smile. "You are wise to understand what you are going through, Miss Dupain-Cheng. But you must also steel your heart to your own feelings, lest you fall victim to Hawk Moth's evil."

"Yes, I understand." Marinette nodded. She rested her hands on her thighs and held them tightly. Hawk Moth was an ever-looming threat that forever hounded the citizens of Paris, and all for the little trinkets of power that Ladybug and Chat Noir wielded. She was curious; what was Hawk Moth's whole deal anyway? "Master, I thought that the Miraculouses were meant for good. How is it that Hawk Moth could use one for evil, and why is he so obsessed with the Miraculouses of Ladybug and Chat Noir?"

Master Fu let out a soft sigh. "You see, the man who called himself Hawk Moth was seduced by the dark side—"

"Master, it is so unlike you to make a joke like that," Wayzz interrupted. Marinette could only stare blankly at the both of them.

The old man smiled. "You are right, Wayzz, but at the same time what I am trying to say is also true. Whatever intentions he had when he acquired the Butterfly Miraculous, they are surely twisted now as Hawk Moth only covets ultimate power while he continues his journey down a dark path that Miraculous users would never stray from. This is why each Miraculous user is carefully hand-picked. Only the worthy are given the opportunity to wield their powers for good. To use them for evil, like Hawk Moth, will only bring about disaster and ruin."

"I—I see, but what has that got to do with Ladybug's and Chat Noir's Miraculouses?"

"Ladybug wields the power of Creation," Wayzz said. "The Black Cat grants the power of Destruction. They are quite unique as a pair amongst the Miraculouses. Legend has it that whoever controls the powers of Creation and Destruction at the same time will achieve absolute power."

"Absolute power… you can't mean that Hawk Moth desires to become a god?"

"While the legends may be true in the sense that Hawk Moth will be able to wield a terrible and destructive power if he used Ladybug's and Chat Noir's Miraculouses for evil, but I wouldn't go so far as to say that they grant god-like powers," Master Fu said. "They are but legends, after all. No one in our history has ever wielded such power before, and for good reason too. It is our duty as Miraculous wielders to prevent such a disaster from ever happening in the first place."

"But you still sent out the Ladybug and the Black Cat the moment Hawk Moth appeared?" Marinette covered her mouth and resisted the urge to chuckle.

"I have only been wrong once in my life. When I made the decision to hand out the earrings of the Ladybug and the ring of the Black Cat to two very promising youths of Paris, I promised myself that I would not make the same mistake twice." Master Fu's gaze burned deeply into Marinette's own. "I have yet to decide if I can call this one a mistake or not." Master Fu closed his eyes and lowered his tone. "Do not worry yourself with such matters. Focus on your goals and for now, live the life that fate has so callously dropped onto your lap. You have enough on your plate as it is and Wayzz has already said too much on this matter. Besides, it is growing late and we do not want to worry your parents about your whereabouts now, do we?"

"I'm sorry Master," Wayzz said, sounding apologetic. "Marinette, you should go home now. Think about my master's advice. I hope that this discussion has given you something positive to take away with."

Marinette slowly picked herself up and gave both Master and kwami a low, courteous bow. "Thank you both for your time and your much-needed advice. I think I know what I must do now. I look forward to hearing from you when you have the answers that I am looking for."

With that, Marinette left the Chinese healer's shop and headed straight home. She had a lot to think about, especially on how she would continue to live her life and what she had to do if everything from now on had become permanent. This whole situation was new to her and deep down, she was frightened. Fighting supervillains that she could understand was one thing; this was neither a thing that she could fight nor understand. She only had the assurances of an old man and his kwami whom, as far as she knew, were also somewhat changed by this different reality. After all, them not remembering her as the real and rightful Ladybug was proof enough that it deeply concerned her. She wondered if she could trust them to come up with answers, or if she should continue to seek those answers on her own.

The more she thought about the darkness that she found herself in, the more convinced she became that there was a ray of hope in all of this. Although her meeting with Master Fu did not produce the favourable outcome that she had hoped for, something that Wayzz had said planted an idea in her mind. If she was able to harness the powers of Creation and Destruction, she could get all the answers that she sought: answers to how she could undo this false reality and return to the normal life that she remembered. Whether it was just legend or fact, power was still power no matter how you looked at it. All she needed to do was steal Ladybug's earrings and Chat Noir's ring.

She knew that she had very strong competition in the form of the Hawk Moth, but she had a distinct advantage over the supervillain: she knew who the Miraculous holders were. With a smile, she went home knowing that tomorrow morning, the sun would rise again to conquer the darkness of the night.


	4. The Ladybug Job

**Chapter 4: The Ladybug Job**

"Live the life that fate has so callously dropped onto your lap," Master Fu had said to Marinette Dupain-Cheng when she last visited him for guidance.

 _A lot easier said than done_ , she thought. She had to somehow survive seeing her crush, Adrien Agreste, casually flirting with her best friend Alya on a daily basis. Her knowing that they were both Chat Noir and Ladybug respectively made the task even more arduous. On top of all that, she had to maintain a good relationship with Nino—and playing pretend-girlfriend wasn't such an easy job to begin with. No, Marinette had a lot on her plate already; focusing on obtaining Chat Noir and Ladybug's Miraculouses was the only thing that kept her sanity in check.

Every morning she forced herself to pay attention to both Adrien and Alya—no matter how flirtatious their interactions were—in hopes of learning anything at all that she could use to get closer to her goal. Sometimes she used Nino as an excuse to continue hanging out with the both of them; double-dating was the perfect opportunity to keep the four of them together as much as possible. She listened and remembered all potential plans and scheduling; it wasn't really that hard considering how she used to memorise all of Adrien's schedules like the back of her hand. She reminded herself that everything she did was for the greater good; to correct the wrongness of the world and restore it to the way it was. But it was almost a week since she had lost her powers and she wasn't getting anywhere fast enough.

"So spill, Marinette." Alya gave her a suspicious nudge and wink one day at school. The girls were having a short break after physical education. Obviously, the boys were away and naturally, the girls would get together to share gossip and talk about relationships. "Have you and Nino… you know…?"

Marinette feigned innocence. "Have we what?"

"Kissed, silly. The two of you have been together since… what… the Animan incident?"

Marinette rolled her eyes. "Since when did we start dating events by Akuma attack incidents?"

"Nice try, girl." Alya playfully punched Marinette in the shoulder. She then crossed her arms and furrowed her brow, her display clearly meant to show an utmost determination that would not be turned by a mere distraction. "Don't try to change the subject. Now spill!"

"No, Alya." Marinette sighed. "Besides, I don't think now is the right time to be thinking about such things."

Alya narrowed her eyes and leaned closer, as if she had noticed something in her friend's eye. "You haven't really been yourself lately. Did something happen that you're not telling?"

"No!" Marinette replied without hesitation. She waved her hands around as a sign of innocence, despite a growing anxiety within her. "I'm just tired from all the craziness and Akuma attacks of late. Seriously Alya, I'm fine."

"Hmm." Alya raised an eyebrow as she maintained her sceptical stare. It was the kind of stare that gave Marinette goosebumps. She knew that inquisitive side of her reporter friend; once something piqued Alya's curiosity, nothing in the world could prevent her from trying to sate that urge to know.

Marinette wracked her mind for a solution, but fortunately it didn't take her too long to come up with an answer. She remembered that they still had a group project to complete for next week. It would prove as a good, temporary distraction to get Alya's mind off her and onto more pressing matters. Furthermore, she could also use the situation to her advantage. "I might have an idea," Marinette said. "Why don't we all get together for a sleepover this weekend? I mean, we've still got that group project that isn't going to finish by itself, and I thought maybe we could all spend more time together. Like old times?"

"Old times, huh?" A smile formed on Alya's lips. "Girl, you sure have a strange way of referring to things. But that's a great idea. I'll talk to Adrien later about it. You'll tell Nino, won't you?"

Marinette nodded. She also suppressed what might have been a wicked smile. _All according to plan_.

* * *

The weekend was soon around the corner. Marinette had gone over the plan with her friends earlier where they had all agreed to meet up at Alya's place in the evening for dinner. After that, they would gather in Alya's room to discuss school work, among other things. Her room was a little tight for four people to sleep in so they had arranged for the boys to bunk in the guest room afterwards. This arrangement was good enough for Marinette; she thought it was something that she could easily work with.

Marinette was the first to arrive. Alya greeted her at the front door. "Good evening, Marinette. Where's Nino?"

"Oh, he'll be on his way soon. He said he was going to meet up with Adrien before heading over."

"All right, well don't just stand there girl, get in here before you freeze to death."

The evening sun was setting soon. It was going to be a cold night in Paris. It was a perfect kind of night for people to snuggle together under a blanket. This brought about a sense of nostalgia that Marinette could not quite shake off. She sighed softly as she reminisced about the times that she had spent with her friends, doing fun things that real teenagers did. Carrying the weight of the world was such a burden and sometimes, even superheroes could grow weary especially when one no longer had an ever-present companion to talk to. Marinette felt the pain in her heart when she thought of Tikki, but quickly dismissed the feeling as she stepped into the warmth of Alya's home.

Adrien and Nino arrived together a short while later. After being shown to their rooms where they left their belongings to be unpacked later, they gathered around the dining table. Adrien had brought some exquisite cuisines prepared by his chef at the express insistence of Nathalie while Marinette unboxed a collection of bread, croissants and macaroons from her father's bakery. Combined with Alya's mother's cooking, they had quite a feast laid out on the table. The group enjoyed the heavy dinner with light banter about school, though as usual it was mostly Adrien and Alya doing the talking. Marinette forced herself to bear with it for just a little while longer; if everything went according to plan, she would have more important issues to deal with in the ensuing aftermath.

After dinner, the four of them had retired to Alya's room as planned but instead of discussing school work, Alya presented them with a heap of board games to choose from. Play first and work later was the order of the night then. It wasn't really a big deal, nor something that Marinette was in any way concerned about; she had bigger things on her mind and her best option was to just play along with it.

Apparently Alya had already planned everything right from the get go. In fact, she even had an itinerary. They would start off with something light like Ticket to Ride or Settlers of Catan, then progress to something deeper like Risk, Diplomacy or Twilight Imperium, and then top it off with a physical challenge like Twister.

"You do realise we can't fit all that into one night, don't you?" Marinette said after passing the itinerary over to the boys and watching their eyes widen in surprise. "Remember the last time we played Twilight Imperium? We had to skip through lunch and dinner just to finish it."

"Yeah, but it would be fun to try and see how far we can go before my parents yell at us to go to bed." Alya's mischievous grin only served to prove how serious she was with the plan.

"Besides, there's not a cat in hell's chance that we're gonna pass up the opportunity to have an all-nighter like that," Adrien added.

Nino simply shrugged and threw his hands up in submission.

"Okay fine, you win," Marinette said. "But I want to at least have a shower before all this craziness gets out of control."

"Sure, let's all get cleaned up before we start," Alya said. She began ushering the boys out of the room. Once both girls were alone, she turned to Marinette and said, "You go on first."

Marinette grabbed her towel and a pair of spare clothes before heading over to the bathroom. _So far so good_ , she thought. The bath was all part of her master plan to get Alya separated from her earrings, or at least that was what she was hoping for. She assumed that Alya would take off her jewellery before showering, giving her a small window of opportunity to go after the stones. Tikki should be inactive while the earrings were taken off so she could simply grab them with little to no trouble. She had to immediately go after Adrien after that, though. She hadn't given much thought about how she would get his ring, but figured that she could somehow wing it when the opportunity presented itself. After all, what could be so difficult about pulling a ring off someone's finger? _It would be certainly a lot easier than trying to pluck off a pair of earrings from a person's ears_ , she reasoned with herself. Even then, the window of opportunity was limited to the amount of time that Alya spent in the shower. _If I'm going to do this, it's now or never_.

"Alya, I'm done. Your turn," Marinette called out as she left the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her hair. She waited by the door until Alya appeared.

"You didn't have to wait for me, girl. Go on back in, you and the boys can get started with the games first if I'm not out by then."

"Okay, sure." Marinette's eyes were locked onto Alya's ears as she walked past her friend. She smiled at the lack of earrings as she pushed the door to Alya's room open.

Alya's room was empty; Adrien and Nino were either not done yet, or perhaps they were still waiting for the girls to be ready while they remained in the guest room. Marinette pressed her back against the door until it closed shut with an audible click. She quickly scanned the room and spotted Alya's dressing table. _That's got to be where she keeps her earrings_ , she thought. With trepidation, she crept across the room and reached for the drawers. She pulled them open and began looking for the small, ornate wooden box within.

It didn't take long for Marinette to find what she was looking for. Hidden underneath a notebook was the familiar-looking box that held Ladybug's earrings. She gingerly cupped the box in her hands and brought it up closer for inspection. Her hands were shaking as she reached for its clasp. With a gentle press, the lid swung open. The two round orbs that were set inside the box were now ripe for the taking.

"Ma-Marinette?" A tiny voice squeaked.

"T-Tikki?" Marinette instinctively jerked her hands back. The box rolled out of her hands and fell into the drawer. She wanted to reach into the drawer to pick it up again, but the little red spotted kwami pushed itself against the drawer, closing it shut.

"Marinette, what are you doing?"

"Tikki, how are you here? Actually, never mind that, but this isn't what it looks like!" Marinette reached for the handle to give it a quick tug, but the little kwami kept the drawer closed shut. "I just need to borrow something for a while."

The kwami continued to push against the drawer. "Marinette, you can't do this. This is wrong!"

Marinette reached for the red spotted kwami, but it zipped out of her grasp and flew up to the ceiling. "Tikki, stay still! I'm not going to hurt you."

"Alya!" the kwami shouted. "Alya, help!"

"Tikki, be quiet—" In the midst of the confusion, Marinette knocked a chair over and hit the floor with a loud bang. She dropped to her knees to stand the chair back up but all this while, her eyes were locked onto the hovering red spotted kwami near the ceiling. Without budging from her position, she reached for the drawer again. Her other hand was prepared to snatch the little kwami if it made a move, but she froze when the door behind her slammed open.

Alya stood at the doorway with a most exasperated look all over her face. She was still dripping wet from head to toe with only a towel wrapped around herself. "What the hell is this, Marinette?"

Marinette raised her hands in front of her and waved in an innocent manner. "Alya! It—It's not what you think. I was just having a look, and then—"

"She was trying to steal the earrings!" Tikki said from the top corner of the room.

Alya narrowed her eyes at Marinette. She was breathing heavily, her shoulders heaving up and down and she bared her teeth at her. "You were trying to steal my Miraculous? How dare you, Marinette!"

"No," Marinette began, shaking her head from side to side. She closed her eyes tightly and clenched her fist. "I mean, I wasn't stealing them. I just needed to borrow them for something, and although that sounds like the same thing, but it's not what you think. I—I can explain—"

"I've heard enough!" Alya slammed her fist into the door frame. Her voice was shaking, but still seething in rage as she spoke. "I don't want to hear any of your excuses. Just—Just get out. Get the hell out of my house now!"

Marinette hung her head down. Without saying a word, she grabbed her bag and scurried to the door. She turned her head away as she walked past her friend. She only managed to squeak a little "sorry" as she bolted past a confused Adrien and Nino, who had emerged from their room to find out what all the ruckus was about. Once she was out of the house, she ran home as fast as she could. She didn't bother answering her parents' concerned questions, nor did she pick up any of the calls on her phone. They were all probably from Nino anyway. She only wanted to lock herself up in her room and stay there for the rest of her life.

* * *

It was already past noon when Marinette had finally found the strength and courage to drag herself out of her bed. She was hungry and her stomach proved to be a stronger motivation than her fears of facing everyone again. She looked out the window, half-expecting an evil Akuma to be waiting for her. The bright sun shone into her face, forcing her to squint. She turned away when her stomach rumbled once more. With a sigh, she quietly shuffled out of her room and made her way to the kitchen.

"Good afternoon, dear," Sabine said as Marinette opened the refrigerator to take out a milk carton and a bottle of marmalade. "Your lunch is already prepared on the table."

"Good afternoon, maman." Marinette replaced the items that she had taken and dragged her feet to the table. She continued to stare at the food which her mother prepared, but in truth her mind was elsewhere. Last night was a total disaster and because of her recklessness, she would never be able to face any of her friends again. It was the worst outcome, and she had no solution for it. She was so engrossed in her thoughts that she didn't notice her mother sitting beside her at the table.

"I don't know what happened last night, but that's still no excuse not to eat, dear." Sabine reached out to pat her daughter on the head but Marinette lowered her head and shifted to one side to avoid her. "Marinette, you know that sulking won't help. Why don't you finish your meal first and then we can talk about it afterwords?"

Marinette could only nodded and then ate her food slowly. She didn't have the appetite despite the vehement complains from her stomach along with the delicious aroma of her mother's cooking. After all, everything good in life was all but gone, drained out of her life with no explanation at all. Once she had finally finished, she contemplated how she was going to talk to her mother. She was so used to having Tikki by her side in times of trouble. Now, Tikki was probably the enemy. She was completely alone despite being surrounded by familiar faces. "Maman?"

"Yes, Marinette?" Sabine quietly sat at attention and waited for her daughter to speak.

"What if… what if you, and only you yourself knew, that something was wrong and the only way to make it right was to do something that was wrong as well?" It was as vague as vague can be, but Marinette couldn't tell even a sliver of truth of her situation to her parents. No one would believe her. Not especially now.

"Does the end justify the means?" Sabine asked. Seeing no response from her daughter, she continued. "Machiavelli. Have you read The Prince, for one of your history lessons perhaps?"

Marinette shook her head.

"Those were the words of Machiavelli. Thinkers, philosophers and politicians have often debated those very words of his. Some say that his thinking is wrong, but many others have argued the opposite. Can an unjust act be justified if the final outcome is for the greater good?"

"I—I don't know," Marinette said. She continued to look down at table, and at the now-empty plate before her.

Sabine placed a reassuring hand on her daughter's shoulder. "I know I haven't actually said much, but you haven't given me much to work with either. But perhaps if you were to give some thought to what I have said, and try to understand both sides of the arguments, you may be able to find the answer that you are looking for."

Marinette closed her eyes and leaned towards her mother for a hug. After all that she had been through, a hug was something that she really needed the most. "Thanks, maman. I'll think about it."

Soon, Marinette left the kitchen and climbed the stairs that led to her room. A gust of wind blew at her ruffled hair as she lifted the trapdoor to her room. She narrowed her eyes and slowly scanned the room. Satisfied that it was empty, she slowly crept through the trapdoor and closed it without making a sound. A window was left slightly ajar near her work table. She tiptoed over to it and took a peek outside. There was nothing out of ordinary going on from her view out of the window, so she closed it and slid its bolt shut.

She turned around and leaned her back against the window. Besides her unkempt bed, her desk was also a mess. However, her eyes were drawn to piece of paper that was left neatly folded in half and propped up against her computer monitor. Curious, she walked over to the desk and picked it up. Her eyes widened when she unfolded it to read its contents.

The note contained nothing more than the symbol of a butterfly stamped over a date, time and address in Paris that she was not familiar with.


	5. Crossroads

**Chapter 5: Crossroads**

It was a late Saturday afternoon in Paris when Marinette had decided to visit the old man Master Fu once again. She felt butterflies in her stomach as she stood motionless at the door, her right hand raised to give it a knock but not fully committed to actually perform the act. She hadn't really given any thought into this meeting whatsoever; it just seemed natural to turn to the old man for guidance when things went south. However, when everything was her fault to begin with, what was she even going to say to him? Could she even mention the letter that she had received?

"Come in, Miss Dupain-Cheng. I know you're there."

Marinette drew a deep breath. She closed her eyes and rested her hand on the door, feeling its sturdiness and the texture of its surface on her fingers. Her mind was racing with questions; she ran countless hypothetical scenarios in her head even though she already knew that she was never going to be fully prepared to face him. She began to have second thoughts about her visit, but then again she was already here and the old man was waiting. Exhaling, she put her weight into the door, pushing it open and stepping into Master Fu's shop once more. "Good evening, Master Fu. Good evening, Wayzz."

"Come. Sit." The old man gestured to the spot in front of him. He reached for the teapot by his side and poured her a cup of tea. Once the cup was nearly full, he lifted it up carefully and set it down in front of her. As he leaned back and re-assumed his original posture, he threw a parting glance at the turtle kwami that hovered by his side. The kwami turned to face Marinette and their eyes met for but a brief moment before it bowed its head and closed its eyes. The silence was deafening and the mood foreboding.

Marinette could read the situation all too well. Their silence only meant one thing—that they already knew what she had done. "I…" Her voice trembled; in that very moment, she no longer knew what she was doing here, nor what she was even going to say.

"I had warned you before but you did not heed any of my advice." Master Fu's voice was both deep and stern, but seemed to carry an ounce of concern in it. He did not look away from Marinette but his hand could still find the small cup by his side and bring it up to his lips. He took a sip and then lay the cup down exactly where he had found it. "Well, I don't have to explain just what kind of trouble you already know you are in. You're probably here to ask us how to fix your own mess. Before we even proceed, I'd like to hear it directly from you—what do you have to say for yourself?"

"You're right. I've made a mess and I… I…" What was she even supposed to say to him? The old man probably didn't know about the note, but either way she suspected that there would be no way that she could respond in a way that could work amicably for the both of them. With her head bowed, Marinette slowly got back up on her feet. "I'm sorry, Master Fu. I—I don't know what to say. I think it was a mistake to come here. I'm sorry to waste your time."

"Marinette, please wait." Wayzz flew up towards Marinette and interposed himself between the door and her. "I sense not just a great conflict, but also a deep regret within you. Please stay and talk to us about it."

"I don't know if I can." Her head remained bowed, her eyes desperately avoiding the kwami's inquisitive gaze. She knew that it could sense something amiss, but she didn't want its concern or pity. She had already done enough wrong and no longer wanted to involve them any further in it.

"Wayzz, let her be," Master Fu said. There was a hint of sadness and resignation in his voice. "If she has already given up then there is nothing more that we can do."

"No," Marinette said. She looked over her shoulder and caught the old man's stare. "I haven't given up. It's just—I just—"

"Marinette?" Wayzz had floated around to bring himself back into her view.

"It's become way too complicated," Marinette said. She buried her face in her hands. "I'm just not sure if coming here was the right thing to do, especially after what I have done. Especially now that it has come to this…"

"Come to what?" the turtle kwami asked. "Is there something you haven't told us yet?"

"I… uh… I came to uh… borrow a Miraculous."

Wayzz let out a little squeak while its master simply remained quiet. The kwami floated a little closer to her and extended a hand but the girl shrunk away. "Marinette, do you even realise what you're asking of us?"

"I—I know it's a lot to ask, but I really need one. It's important."

"I am sorry Marinette, but this crosses a line," the old man finally said. He paused only to take another sip from his cup, but this time taking longer to relish the bittersweet taste in his mouth before swallowing the herbal brew. He took a deep breath and then slowly exhaled with his eyes closed. "A Miraculous is not something to be lent; a user is chosen to be the owner of a Miraculous, to form a close and iron-clad relationship with their kwami. It is often a life-long bond that is never broken; as the saying goes, till death do they part. And so every user is chosen for a reason. You, Miss Dupain-Cheng, were chosen for your kindness, and the hidden strength and resolve within your heart. You were special and could have wielded your Miraculous to the best of its ability to become a very strong Ladybug—even the best that I have known in nearly two centuries of my life—but instead, you gave it up so quickly that it left me sorely disappointed in my choice. And now here you are, trying to borrow such a treasure. What you ask is an insult to us all."

Marinette tore her gaze away from the old man and his kwami; she turned faced the door. She thought about the note on her desk, and if she could even face it without having a Miraculous to protect her. One way or another, that path was already set and there was no turning back. She might as well be saying her last words to the old man. "I'm sorry, Master. I'm sorry for wasting your time. I'm sorry for everything. All that I have done, I did with the full intention to set things right. Even now, there lies a path before me that I simply cannot ignore, even though I do not know whether going down that path is the right choice or not. But either way, I have to come to a decision and whatever choice I make, please do not think less of me."

Before she could reach the door, Wayzz flew in front of her and made her stop. "Please, Marinette. What are you planning to do?"

"What I have to." Marinette gently waved the hovering kwami aside with one hand while her other hand pulled the door open.

"Just answer me this," Master Fu said with a commanding voice that made Marinette stop in her tracks. "Ladybug was not just a superhero who used her powers to fight supervillains. She was also a hero who swore to protect the people of Paris from Hawk Moth. Do you know what the difference is between a person with super powers and a hero?"

"I know! I—I fought so hard, and it was all for… all because of…" She struggled to find the words to describe her past, or even ones to justify her present, but nothing came out from her mouth. The old man's words bit deep down and she clutched at her chest, as if feeling real pain in her heart. _Was I really a hero? Have I really made all the right choices, or were they just the choices that felt right to me?_ Either way, choices have already been made and their outcome determined. Good or bad, they have led her down this path. She spoke in a sad voice. "I think perhaps at one time, I was a hero but now, I don't think I deserve that title anymore. Good bye, Master Fu. Good bye, Wayzz."

"Marinette, please—"

"Wayzz, just let her be," the old man said. "Give her time to think on her own. We'll still be here when she has found herself once again."

And so Marinette left the old man and his kwami behind, trudging home with a heavy heart and a lot going on in her mind.

* * *

The evening sun had almost set when Marinette reached The Tom & Sabine Boulangerie Patisserie but she stopped in her tracks when she spotted two familiar young boys standing at the entrance. Adrien and Nino were waiting for her, so she spun around and walked in the opposite direction. Judging by the pair of footsteps that quickly caught up with her soon afterwards, she knew that she had already been spotted.

"Mari, wait up!"

"Nino—" She paused and shot a quick glance at her pursuers. If it was just Nino on his own, she may have been able to say something to him but with Adrien Agreste by his side? She was left speechless.

"Marinette," Adrien said. "We just want to talk."

She averted her gaze and hung her head down. "I'm sorry, Adrien. I don't know how you can still talk to me after what I've done."

"You don't have to apologise to me, Marinette. You didn't do me any wrong at all." Adrien's voice was both reassuring and also full of concern, but after that he shifted his tone and became stern. "But at the very least, you do owe Nino some kind of explanation."

"Adrien, I don't understand." Marinette slowly turned around and looked at the boy with amazement. "How can you still treat me like this?"

"Honestly, I don't know." Adrien shrugged. He tilted his head up and gazed at the sky while his hands rested inside his pockets. "I can't really explain it, but somewhere deep down, I just know that you're a good girl at heart. What you did to Alya though, well… I'm pretty sure you had a good reason for it even though you still owe her an apology and an explanation for it."

"I'm not a good girl. You don't really know me at all."

"Don't sell yourself short." Adrien placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed gently. "I don't know what's going on with you—and maybe I won't be able to understand anyway—but from here, I see a desperate girl who's been forced to do desperate things only because she's been backed into a corner. But—but you're better than this, Marinette. I have this strangely familiar sense of trust that I cannot explain, but I know that feeling to be true. I believe in you, Marinette. You'll come though. You just have to forgive yourself first."

"Adrien, I don't know what to say…"

"Then don't say anything. Well, at least not to me. Nino, on the other hand, deserves your attention. Besides, it's getting late and I should probably get going. Nathalie's already waiting for me and if I stay any longer, I'm pretty sure that my father will really and truly ground me for life. Nino can fill me in later about… whatever it is that you'll let him say but for now, just talk to him. He's really concerned about you. Anyway… cat you later." He offered her a wry smile before spinning around on his heels and taking off, leaving Nino behind in her care.

Once Adrien was out of sight, Nino simply raised his hand and waved meekly. "H-Hey there."

Marinette could not look up to meet his gaze. She still wasn't able to see him eye-to-eye like this.

"Look, Mari," Nino said. "I can't say I fully understand what happened last night. Everything happened so quickly, and then all of a sudden I find out that my closest friends are Ladybug and Chat Noir. I can't even begin to process all of that in such short time."

Marinette's head snapped back up, her eyes now wide open as she met his gaze. "They actually told you?"

"Uh, not really." Nino rubbed the back of his head and gave her a sheepish smile. "Alya was ranting all about you trying to take her… uh… miracle thing… She had this little red k-kwami friend with her. And then this little black cat flew out of Adrien's pocket and they began yapping all night. It really wasn't that hard to figure it out. Not especially after they made me swear not to tell a soul or I'd be swimming with the fishes at the bottom of The Seine."

"Wait, what?" If Marinette's eyes weren't already wide enough, that last bit about swimming with fishes made them grow even wider than before.

The boy made the widest grin she had ever seen. "Just kidding."

Marinette suppressed a laugh, but she still playfully punched him in the shoulder. "I guess the cat's out of the bag, huh?"

"It's so awesome, isn't it? Both my friends are like, _the_ superheroes of Paris." Nino's tone shifted after that; his voice deepened when he said, "But what's this about you trying to take Ladybug's earrings? That's totally supervillain stuff, dude."

Marinette took a step away from the boy. Her legs felt weak. He had associated her actions to that of a supervillain, and the painful part of it was that he wasn't wrong. _I'm no hero. Master Fu was right all along_.

"Mari?"

"I—I could tell you, but I don't think you will believe me."

Nino narrowed his eyes. He stepped forward and put both hands on her shoulders and looked her in the eye. "Mari, I'm your boyfriend. Of course I'll believe you."

Marinette closed her eyes and sighed. She was tired, not just with everything that had gone wrong everywhere she went, but also with this false life that she had been living. Nino being her boyfriend was just another farce that she could no longer keep up with. She couldn't do this to him anymore. As much as she would like to not hurt him, but she couldn't live with the web of lies that she had been building up around herself. She lifted the boy's hands off her shoulder and held them tightly in her own. "I'm sorry, Nino, but the truth is you're not my boyfriend. I'm not your girlfriend and Alya isn't supposed to be Ladybug. I am—or maybe I should say was—the real Ladybug. I don't know what happened or why, but this whole world that I'm living in now isn't real. I'm so sorry, Nino, but I can't live like this anymore and you don't deserve to be led on by me either."

Nino blinked. The way his eyes kept looking from one spot to another, it was clear that he was struggling to process everything that she had just told him. "I—I don't understand…"

"Oh Nino, I don't even know where to begin." It was the truth. She didn't even know how to explain something that she herself couldn't comprehend.

"Then start from the beginning."

Marinette nodded. She started from the day when she helped Master Fu cross the road. On that day, Ivan became the first Akumatised supervillain Stoneheart and went after their classmate Kim. She had found the wooden box that contained Ladybug's earrings on her desk. As clumsy and nervous as she was, she mustered up the courage to fight and, together with Chat Noir, became the superhero pair who swore to protect the peoples of Paris and defeat Hawk Moth. After a moment of of hesitation, she also told him about her crush on Adrien Agreste and about the lengths of her obsession that she would memorise his entire schedule and keep pictures of him all over her room. But it all led to the fateful day when she woke up from bed to find her powers missing and her companion, Tikki, gone with no clue or explanation. She had gone from superheroine to nobody in a single day and her entire world fell apart like the shattering of falling glass.

Nino gripped her hands tightly and refused to let go. His face was wet now; although his head was bowed, she could still see the tears dripping down his cheeks and soaking both their hands. She felt her own tears falling silently, mixing with his. They spent a long moment of silence just holding on to each other's hands before Nino finally found the courage to speak. "I—I'll help you."

Marinette's heart skipped a beat. She wasn't even sure if she heard him correctly. "What?"

"I said I'll help you. I can't say that I fully understand everything you have said, or if I could ever bring myself to believe every single word about it. But even if you think that all of this isn't real—that this whole world is a lie—but I'm still here and I am real. This is me, Mari. This is my world and here, I am your boyfriend. I love you, Mari, and that's all that matters to me."

"Nino, do you even know what you're saying?"

"Maybe I do. Or maybe I don't. But I can't deny this feeling that I have. I want to help you. That—that's the only thing I can do for you as I am now."

"No, Nino." Marinette's grip on the boy's hand tightened as she spoke. "You've already done so much. By being here, by being someone I can talk to, and by trying to understanding me, it is more than I could ever hope for in such a good friend like you. Before, I didn't even realise that there were good people such as you and Adrien who still cared even after all the terrible things that I have done. Thank you so much, Nino."

Nino pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and began to wipe away her tears. He was trying very hard to smile but his eyes were still wet and his heart was probably still hurting badly. "What are you going to do, Mari?"

"I—I don't know." Marinette immediately felt guilty, for she had lied again. She couldn't tell him about the note. She couldn't tell him that she may have to face Hawk Moth without anything but her own wit. She would only be putting him in danger otherwise. "I'll think about what I can do from here on, but in the meantime I just need to get some rest. It's been a pretty wild day, even for you, Nino. You go on home and get some sleep. You've done enough for today, and I truly am grateful that you actually listened to me."

"If you say so, Mari." Nino swallowed. He leaned forward to give Marinette a hug. She didn't shy away, so he went ahead and wrapped his arms around her. "Please call me if you plan to do anything, okay? I'll be behind you no matter what happens."

"I promise," she whispered softly in his ear, but she shut her eyes and let another small tear trickle down her cheek.

* * *

The following morning, Marinette was up very early. She had already finished her breakfast and told her parents that she was just going out to the park for a walk. Instead, she held the note in her hand, the address written within leading her to a less-travelled part of Paris. She saw fewer boutiques and shops, and an increasing number of workshops and warehouses. She had tried to look the place up on the Internet before—to see if she could find some sort of clue or link based on who owned the premises—but all she had found was a complex web of fronts and shell companies, some leading to dead ends while others sending her on a wild goose chase to no end. No, she hadn't found anything of value given the limited amount of time and resources that she had.

She stood in front of the main entrance of a fairly large property owned by a local textile and garments supplier. The grounds consisted of several warehouses that were used to store cloth and related raw materials. Her objective was the main warehouse building in the middle. On any other day, the place would be teeming with workers so it was quite obvious why a Sunday was chosen for this meeting.

The front gates creaked lifelessly open as she pushed her way inside, taking care to make sure that no one would notice a young girl trespassing into private property. Satisfied that the coast was clear, she made her way towards the double doors that led her into the warehouse.

The smell of fresh garments filled her nostrils as she began to take in her surroundings. The ceiling was at least three storeys high, with various levels and walkways overhead for workers to gain access to the various locations of note within the building. Piles of uncut cloth were neatly arranged throughout the place; some were rolled and then propped up against the walls while others were stacked up as high as the ceiling. From memory, the place was probably not originally built for this intended purpose, but retrofitted to handle textile goods are a much later date. It didn't take her long to spot a possible route going up but before she could take another step forward, she was interrupted by the sound of footsteps coming from above.

"I am glad that you have decided to come, Miss Dupain-Cheng."

Marinette snapped her head up to find a man in dark purple suit and silver mask standing on a walkway just outside what could be the main office of the building. He held a jewel-encrusted walking stick in one hand and wore a butterfly-shaped brooch underneath his neck.

"Hawk Moth," she said coldly.


	6. Crisis (Part I)

**Chapter 6: Crisis (I)**

Hawk Moth stepped over the railings and launched himself off the walkway. A swarm of white butterflies suddenly flew into the building, forming a hovering platform for the supervillain to step on. The cloud of butterflies slowly lowered the man to the ground where he stepped off and stood with his chest thrust out and his chin held high in front of Marinette. The butterflies began to disperse, disappearing as quickly as they appeared.

Marinette steeled herself as she stood before the enemy of Paris. "What do you want, Hawk Moth?"

The man began to walk circles around Marinette. "Allow me to tell you a story, Miss Dupain-Cheng. This is a story about two very powerful artifacts: the earrings of the Ladybug and the ring of the Black Cat. On their own, these Miraculouses hold the power of Creation and Destruction respectively. However, when brought together, the wielder is granted unimaginable power. And so one man set out to capture these two Miraculouses, but he didn't know of their whereabouts. Yet he knew that these items of power were possessed by heroes: men and women who would appear any time their beloved citizens of Paris were in danger. And what better way to draw these heroes out than to create supervillains. They would surely come out of hiding to protect the people whom they so loved, and then my supervillains would defeat them and bring their Miraculouses to me."

"Everyone already knows this, Hawk Moth. What's your point in telling me your autobiography?"

Hawk Moth continued to circle the girl as he spoke. "The supervillain senses strong negative emotions coming from his would-be henchmen. Fear, anger, hate, jealousy and more; these are the weaknesses of man that draw the evil Akuma towards them. The supervillain grants these people the power they crave in order to achieve their hearts desires; all he asks in return is for the defeat of Ladybug and Chat Noir, and the retrieval of their Miraculouses."

"So why didn't you just Akumatise me? Why send the letter instead?"

The supervillain let out a brief chuckle. The grin on his face was nothing but unsettling. "Do not even think for a moment that I wasn't tempted, girl. The very first time I sensed all that pain within, it felt only natural—a routine, even—to send another one of my evil Akumas after you. But then I felt something more. There was this burning fire within you. You were not just an ordinary girl with negative emotions. There was this hidden strength within you, something almost recognisable yet I couldn't quite put a finger on. It didn't just stop there; there was also so much raw potential just waiting to burst forth, if only you would accept your fate and give in to your heart's desires. I was intrigued. Captivated, even. So you can imagine, to my surprise, when I finally learnt your true intentions. You desire the same thing as I do! Think, girl, of what the both of us could achieve if we worked together."

"You would share power with simple girl like me?" Marinette was curious. Of all the things, she had never expected such a direct offer. But this was Hawk Moth—the number one threat to Paris—and so she would not be so easily swayed by what could possibly amount to be empty promises. "Why do you think I am anything more than ordinary?"

Hawk Moth stopped walking and pointed his walking stick at her. His intense stare felt as if he was burning a hole right through her skull. "Working with negative emotions only goes so far. But you—you have so much strength and potential locked up deep down inside that innocent-looking act of yours. If you would be a willing minion—no, partner—I could grant you even more power than you could ever imagine. You shall be more powerful than even Ladybug and Chat Noir combined! If you and I worked together, their Miraculouses will easily fall into our hands. We shall become the gods of this world, to rule it and claim all of our hearts' desires."

"You want to play god? Is that even possible?"

"With the power of Creation and Destruction in our hands, anything is possible, girl." The supervillain raised his clenched fist and shook it as a gesture of strength.

"Even—even change the world? Can I change even the course of history?"

Hawk Moth threw his head back and laughed. It was so full of arrogance and pride, there was no mistaking it: he knew what he was doing. He fully understood the power that he could command if he had his way. "Changing the world is but child's play, girl. I can already grant people unimaginable power. They can make others obey their bidding. They can control the weather. They can travel back through time. All that is already possible, but with the power of Creation and Destruction in my hands, the world shall be our playground, the people our toys and playthings that answer only to us. So, what say you, girl?"

"I can change the world," Marinette said softly.

"Yes."

"I no longer have to endure living this false life."

"Yes."

"I could fix all the mistakes that I had made."

"Yes!"

"But…" All she needed to say to him was a simple "yes". It was the hardest thing for her to say even though she was literally screaming inside to just say the word and get it over with. Something was holding her back. The pain in her heart intensified and she held both hands close to her chest. Her eyes felt wet as a flood of recent memories surfaced.

 _Does the end justify the means?_ Sabine's voice echoed inside her mind. Was it right for her to sacrifice everything else in order to achieve that one final outcome, no matter how just it was?

 _Do you know what the difference is between a person with super powers and a hero?_ Master Fu had asked her. She told him that she no longer deserved that title, so why was she still thinking about it? If time had been corrected, none of this would have happened. Does that make it right?

 _I believe in you_ , Adrien had said just the night before. _You'll come though. You just have to forgive yourself first_.

 _This is me, Mari_. Despite being told the truth, Nino still clung to his beliefs. His ideals. Himself. _This is my world and here, I am your boyfriend. I love you, Mari, and that's all that matters to me_.

"Why do you hesitate, girl?" Hawk Moth held out a hand, beckoning her to come forward. "Search your feelings, girl. You know what you must do."

"There are still people who care about me… People who would still put their faith in me. They would be disappointed if I made the wrong choice."

Hawk Moth chuckled. It was the most chilling sensation that Marinette had ever felt; it sent shivers down her spine. "Do you think these people would truly care for such a person as you? Listen to me, girl. You have already let them down. By coming here, by having this conversation with me, you have already betrayed their trust and they will know of it one way or another. The choice may still be yours to choose, but there is only one true path for you now."

Marinette stared down her hands. Her limbs stiffened as her muscles became tight. She clenched her fist and snapped her head back up to stare at that smug, anticipating look on Hawk Moth. She thought of Nino and Adrien, and of her mother and father. She even thought of Alya. These were the people whom she held closest to her heart. She had already hurt them enough. Even if some of them no longer thought well of her anymore, but she would not wish to hurt them any further. "No, Hawk Moth. You do not get to use my friends against me like that. Everything that has happened to me, both good and bad, has led me down this path. Every decision I made, every mistake and every blunder, made me the person whom I am now. Yet despite all that, Adrien still believes in me. Nino still wants to be by my side. My mother and my father still love me. My master and his kwami, even if they do not show it, still have faith in me!"

"What?"

"Even if I am not the Ladybug of this world, but I am still a hero and a true hero would never accept an offer as evil as yours."

"You foolish girl." Hawk Moth slammed the end of his walking stick to the ground, kicking up a small cloud of dust. Several small white butterflies that had gathered around his feet suddenly dispersed from his reaction. His expression was contorted, no longer wearing the pride and the smugness from before. His response was full of scorn as he spoke with agitated sweeping arm gestures. "You do not realise the kind of power we could wield. You think you can turn away from true and ultimate power, and then just walk away from me like that?"

"If you're going to Akumatise me, spare me the anguish and do it now. Otherwise, I'll be taking my leave." Marinette spun around and took a step towards the exit. Her hands were shaking, her legs weak, but she did the best she could to keep her emotions in check. She would not show him her weak side—not now—for that would only serve to fuel his ego and satisfaction.

"No." Hawk Moth let out a maniacal laugh. "There is so much fire in you, I would love to burn that brave facade of yours down like the thin paper wall that it really is. I would tear down every single pillar of hope that you cling to—every friend and family member—until you have nothing left to stand on. And then, only after you are completely broken and laid bare, would I take pleasure in sending an Akuma specifically crafted just for you."

Marinette continued marching towards the exit. She held her gaze on the double doors leading out of the building, consciously trying to block his words from her ears.

"A hero." The man spat. "You're nothing but a frightened little girl trying to act brave in the face of something you can never fathom to face nor defeat. Go run back to that pathetic little life of yours, but do not think that this is anything but over. In fact, the end is a lot closer than you might think."

She didn't want to hear any more of it. She bolted for the door, as if the Hounds of Tindalos themselves were on her trail.

* * *

Marinette had barely ran two blocks when a dark cloud passed over her. What she saw made her blood curl; she instantly stopped dead in her tracks. A swarm of Akumas had passed overhead and then dispersed, spreading unimaginable evil throughout the city of Paris. Murmurs from the people on the ground quickly escalated into screams of panic as scores of black butterflies began to descend upon the terrified citizens, transforming their unfortunate victims into evil supervillains under the thrall of the Butterfly Miraculous user.

She ducked into a small alley to avoid a group of panicked citizens stampeding in her direction. A young boy no younger than four stumbled and fell. A handheld electronic gaming console slipped out of his hand and scattered into the path of an oncoming crowd. He watched in horror as the panicked people crushed his favourite toy. Not more than a minute later, a black Akuma had found the boy's shattered device. He was no longer a crying little boy anymore, but some enraged digital monster hell-bent on turning the people who had crushed his gaming console into little collectible figurines.

Marinette kept herself out of sight until the Akumatised child had wandered off. She emerged out into the streets and stared in shock at the amount of destruction sustained throughout her beloved city. Shop windows were smashed, vehicles trampled and injured people lay on the side walk, caressing their wounds while backed up into a corner or against a wall. She could still hear the terrified screams of people from nearby streets and adjacent districts; the Akumas were causing widespread fear and panic throughout the entire city. She should have been afraid or even horrified by the chaos but she found herself confused more than anything else. A strong feeling of deja vu gripped her as she started to make her way back to the bakery. Like a faint memory tugging at her from the back of her mind, she somehow knew that this had happened before.

She immediately thought of her parents, and of her friends. She fished her phone out of her bag and then realised that she had left it in silent mode all this while. Dozens of unread messages and missed calls greeted her. A large number of them were from Nino while the more recent ones came from both her parents. She dialled the number of the bakery and brought the phone up to her ear. The constant beeping of the dial tone did nothing except increase her state of panic. When the connection was terminated on its own, Marinette flicked through the list of missed calls and tapped Nino's number instead. The boy answered mere moments after it began dialling.

"Mari? Is that you?"

A part of her felt relieved to hear his voice. Another part felt a pang of regret for keeping her little adventure this morning a secret from him. "Yes," she said in a soft voice. "It's me."

"Where are you? Do you know what's going on right now?"

"I'm… safe, for now. But I can't contact my parents. Have you heard anything from them? Or maybe just about the bakery?"

"No, I haven't heard. Where exactly are you, Mari?" His voice was loud and Marinette could literally hear his heavy and somewhat unsteady breathing through the phone.

"Where are you? Are you in some kind of trouble?" she asked.

"Just tell me where you are," Nino said, his voice sounding quite stern through the receiver. "I'm coming to get you."

Marinette gasped. "Nino, stay indoors. You're not safe outside."

"And what about you?"

"I'll be fine."

"Nevermind, I think I found you."

"What? Wait—" The call had already ended. Marinette jerked her head up and looked around. A lone figure was jogging towards her from the opposite direction.

"Nino, what are you doing here?"

He stopped and leaned a hand against a lamp post, his breathing loud and ragged. "Looking for you, Mari. You promised you would call me before you did anything. But instead," Nino gestured around in a sweeping pattern, "this happened."

"I'm so sorry, Nino, but I had to do this alone. It was too dangerous for you to come," Marinette said, trying to sound apologetic.

"Dangerous?"

"Yeah," she said. "Hawk Moth dangerous."

Nino gasped. "Hawk Moth? Are you crazy, Mari? You don't have Ladybug's powers to protect you anymore. Seriously, do you have some kind of death wish or something?"

"I wish." Marinette surveyed her surroundings. She thought she had heard something coming down the road from up ahead, but nothing came up in her sights. She took note of several side lanes near them in case they needed to make an exit in a hurry. "Anyway, how did you even know to look for me here?"

"I didn't. But you weren't answering my calls so I tried to call Adrien instead. He seemed kind of preoccupied with something and I got suspicious. I caught him and Alya taking off from his place this morning and tried to following them. They were heading somewhere in this direction but I lost them a while ago, then all this happened and I just knew that you had to be involved."

"But what were Adrien and Alya up to in this area…?"

Nino shrugged. "I don't know, you tell me."

"But that—that would mean that they were following me. And if they had followed me then…" Marinette's eyes widened as the realisation dawned upon her. "Oh no." She spun around started walking but Nino caught her hand and pulled her back towards him.

"Mari please, where are you going?"

"I have to stop them! They're going to get themselves killed at this rate!" She managed to twist her hand free of the boy's grip and marched off in the direction of the warehouse.

Nino pulled up beside her and took her hand in his. "I'm going with you."

"Nino, it's too dangerous. I can't—"

"Too dangerous for me, but not for you?" Nino asked. Not getting any answer in return, he continued. "Then lead the way, Mari."

The pair trudged on towards the warehouse, occasionally stepping into an alley or side lane to avoid being spotted by a random passer-by or an Akumatised victim. There were times when they came across an injured Parisian or two. Marinette forced herself to look away and shut mind from the pleading victims who were asking for medical attention. She didn't know what Nino must have thought of her to simply ignore them so coldly, but there were much bigger problems at hand and the clock was ticking. Despite having absolutely no plan, she was fully determined to get back to the warehouse.

After what felt like an eternity, the warehouse soon came into view. Already she could imagine Ladybug and Chat Noir battling for their lives against Hawk Moth. She hoped that she wasn't too late. A crushing sense of familiarity, intermingled with a pang of anguish and regret hit her immediately afterwards. She felt pain in her heart and her tears trickled onto her cheeks on their own. She reached for her head and shut her eyes tight, utterly confused and disoriented by the mix of emotions that hit her.

"Mari, what's wrong?" Nino stopped and let Marinette lean against him for support.

"I don't know, Nino." Marinette's voice was weak and broken, faltering with each drop of tear. She dropped to her knees and buried her face in her hands. "I just don't know."

Nino rested a hand on her shoulder. "Mari, it's okay to be scared. It's okay if you just want to—"

A loud crash up ahead interrupted the boy. Bursting out of the side of a wall was the largest, meanest crocodile they had ever seen. It stood on its two hind legs and spread an array of sharp spines out from its back. Its bloodshot eyes slowly turned and then locked onto the pair. In a deep, guttural voice it said, "I am the Crocopine and I'll show you what a real hunt looks like. You shall be my prey."

"Nino, duck!" Marinette grabbed the boy's hand and pulled him to the ground just as a single spine the length of her arm flew over his head. She dashed towards an alley that was closest to their position, pulling the boy along with her. Another spine embedded itself into the wall as they scrambled into the dark and narrow street. "I think if we head down this way and then turn left at the intersection up ahead, we can still get back to the warehouse."

"Then go," Nino said as he twisted his hand free. He bent down to pick up the metal lid of a garbage can and brandished it like a shield. "I'll hold him back."

"Nino, are you crazy? That's one of Hawk Moth's supervillain you're dealing with!"

The boy wouldn't listen. He ran back out into the open and yelled profanities at the supervillain. Several spines flew past him while he ducked behind his makeshift shield. He looked behind his shoulder and then began to inch backwards on step at a time, only to drop to his knees several moments later. A large spine the size of Hawk Moth's walking stick had embedded itself into his right thigh. He turned his head towards Marinette and shouted, "run!"

"Nino!"

Marinette couldn't believe her eyes. Nino, bravely fighting off an Akumatised supervillain even though he knew that he had no chance against it. He raised his make-shift shield as another volley of spines flew past. A single spine bounced off his shield, the recoil sending him stumbling backward but he still held his ground. He clutched his injured leg as he continued to make his retreat, but the spine that punctured his thigh was too painful for her to watch. Amidst the pain came a very strong sensation of familiarity. She saw a Chat Noir in him; not the hero himself, but a heroic spirit not unlike her Chat Noir. Those similar qualities—how bravely he fought, and how much he was willing to sacrifice to protect the ones he loved—triggered something deep within that her heart had somehow managed to suppress all this time. And just like that, a torrent of memories began to flood back into her mind. In that very instant, she had remembered everything.

The whole world was messed up because of her. Everything that had happened was her fault. She changed the world because Chat Noir had died.

* * *

 **Author's Note** : Ooh look, new cover image! Well, it's just a lousy trace-and-repaint job since I suck at it but still... yayy, new cover!


	7. Miraculous Days of Future Past

**Chapter 7: Miraculous Days of Future Past**

From a distant memory of a time that once was, and from a high perch atop the famous Eiffel Tower of Paris, Marinette stood—transformed as Ladybug—watching over a city that was basking in the golden light of the morning sun. She felt like she was at the top of the world, able looking upon it in all its glory and there was nothing that could stop her. This sense of elation was not entirely random; today was a very big day. However, it wasn't a day of celebration nor day of joy. No, she and her partner had a very serious ordeal coming and she had begun to wonder why her kitty cat was late.

"My Lady, it looks like you're on top of things already."

Ladybug nearly jumped. Chat Noir was getting increasingly better at sneaking up on her and this time, he completely managed to catch her unawares. "Chat, you're late!"

The black cat rubbed the back of his head, ruffing up his blond hair in the process. His silly grin disappeared, quickly turning into lip-biting. "Yeah…"

"Just a plain old 'yeah'? No witty come back this time?"

"Well…" He continued to mess up his hair.

"Chat, what's wrong? You're not having second thoughts, are you?" Ladybug leaned forward to take a closer look at her partner. Something was definitely wrong with him. She knew that today was a very important day for them both, so some amount of nervousness was completely expected. This though—this was different.

He averted his gaze and spoke in a soft tone. "It's nothing."

Ladybug pinched her partner's chin and pulled his attention back to her. "Chat, we're going up against Hawk Moth today. I need you to have my back a full one hundred and ten percent, so if you're starting to have doubts, now is the time to come clean. Please."

"I—It's really nothing, My Lady. Just…" His dreamy green eyes were still shying away from her. For some reason he could not face her eye-to-eye. "It's just shocking, you know. After all this while, after every battle that we've been through together, it has finally come to this day. We may finally know the person behind Hawk Moth's mask. It's so exciting, yet terribly frightening at the same time. I'm just not sure if I could face him."

"Well, you're not facing him alone," Ladybug said. "We're facing him together."

"Yeah, but have you ever thought, what if we knew Hawk Moth in person. What if his civilian self was completely different from his mask?"

She wasn't sure where he was going with this, but she could clearly tell that he was somewhat troubled by Hawk Moth's identity. Perhaps after fighting for so long, after getting to know so many new people and making new friends, he feared that he had to fight someone he knew? Ladybug knew that feeling too, but she had already faced her demons a long time ago. She had fought her best friend. She had bested a little child whom she babysit regularly. She faced her uncle in hand-to-hand combat. Hawk Moth should be no different from the others. "Honestly, I didn't think that far. But either way, this is Hawk Moth we're dealing with. Even if I knew this man in person, I would still take him down with no quarter given."

Chat Noir offered a weak smile. "That's the Ladybug that I know." He also whispered softly under his breath, "and love."

"What was that?"

"Yeah, let's get this over with."

Ladybug reached out and placed her hand on his shoulder. "Chat, are you sure? We can postpone if you don't think you're up to it."

"N-No! It's the day we've been waiting for all this time! We can't just let an opportunity like this pass us by. Even if it was just pure luck that you were at the right time and the right place to spot the Akuma leaving his lair, but if we don't do this today, who knows if Hawk Moth might grow suspicious and relocate and we'll never get this chance again and he'd grow smarter and hide his tracks better so we'll never get the same opportunity again and—and I'm just babbling now, aren't I?" Without waiting for her to respond, he turned to watch the rising sun. His stance was different now; his chin was raised, his shoulders held back and his chest thrust out. In that instant, he seemed to cast aside all sense of doubt and stood tall over the city. He tilted his head back and smiled at her. "If we don't do this now, we may never get the same chance again."

"You're right, Chat," she said. She held out her fist to him. "Well, good luck to us then."

Chat Noir returned the fist-bump and together, they leapt off the Eiffel Tower and made their way towards the observatory where Hawk Moth was believed to be operating from.

* * *

Getting to the observatory was the easy part. In fact, breaking inside after spotting the masked man in purple coat standing in a field of white butterflies proved simple enough. Problems arose once they had confronted the supervillain in earnest, though.

"Ladybug, Chat Noir. How nice of you to drop in," he said with his back against them. He spun around and shifted his weight, resting on the jewel-encrusted walking stick by his side. He wore a confident and smug grin on his face. "Would you care to leave your Miraculouses behind?"

"Not a chance, Hawk Moth." Ladybug began spinning her yo-yo in circles while Chat Noir extended his baton into a staff. "Today, you're going down and we're the ones who will be taking your Miraculous!"

"You, take my Miraculous?" Hawk Moth cackled with laughter. He laughed so hard, Ladybug wondered if it was a good time to sneak in a shot and take him by surprise. On the other hand, it could just be a lure and he was baiting them to make the first mistake. The standoff did not last long though; in the end, the supervillain finally composed himself to speak again. "Let me tell you some cold, hard truths, Ladybug. I know for a fact that the both of you will be unable to fight me."

"Tall words, Hawk Moth. But can you back them up?" Ladybug said. She threw a quick glance at her partner, who remained silent all this while. Maybe he was still being very nervous about this. She hoped that he would still be able to put his all into this; she couldn't afford to have him be distracted in the middle of the most important fight of their lives.

"Of course I can. I know for a fact that you both are heroes. That means you would put down your very lives to protect the people of Paris."

Ladybug narrowed her eyes. "What have you done?"

The supervillain bared his teeth, his smile both wide and mocking. "Nothing… yet."

"Then let's get him!" Chat Noir suddenly spoke. He launched himself at the supervillain, only to quickly double back as a swarm of white butterflies flew into his face. Remaining undeterred, he began circling to the right while Ladybug approached from the left. They had planned to flank him from both sides. No matter how skilled a fighter he was, it should be nearly impossible to put up a good defence on both side simultaneously—or at least that was how Chat Noir had explained during their preliminary tactics discussion. He was the skilled fencer, after all, and Ladybug trusted him on this.

Hawk Moth raised his walking stick, pointing the long cane towards the broken glass where Ladybug and Chat Noir had made their entrance. A wave of darkness suddenly engulfed the man. White butterflies turned dark amid the swirling vortex of wings that surrounded the supervillain. The swarm became a raging torrent and then, as quickly it had begun, the darkness had dissipated. By the time Ladybug had realised just what really happened, it was already too late. The flock of Akumas had already left the building, spreading their tainted wings as they made their way across the skies of Paris. They would blot out the sky and bring about a new twilight upon the City of Lights.

"Hawk Moth!" she shouted in vain.

The supervillain smiled. "Now you have to decide what's more important to you. Fight me here and you forsake your beloved Parisians to my evil Akumas. Or be the heroes you claim to be and sacrifice yourselves for the sake of the peoples of Paris."

Ladybug's eyes widened. This was not part of the plan. This was never on the table. They were to fight Hawk Moth and beat him, not deal with this complication. Besides, she had never seen him command more than one Akuma at the same time. An entire flock spreading all over Paris? That set a very frightening precedence. Either he was a lot stronger than they had anticipated, or this was just all a ruse to distract them. "How did you manage to do something like that?"

"It wasn't easy," the supervillain said. His smile was so full of it.

"That just means that we need to beat you quickly. Once we take your Miraculous, your evil spell over the city will be over."

Hawk Moth simply laughed at her. His sheer confidence was like a reinforced steel wall that metaphorically separated the both of them. "So you think you can beat me so easily? Know that the more you talk, the busier my evil Akumas will get and soon, all of Paris will be in a crisis that you have started."

"No. We'll beat you and end this once and for all. There—there must be a catch. Maybe your transformation will drop after five minutes," Ladybug said. She only had her own experience to draw on. If Lucky Charm and Cataclysm had a depowering timer, what are the chances that Hawk Moth had a similar limitation? "You can't just expend so much power without consequences."

"You're welcome to wait and see," the supervillain said with a chuckle. "There is just so much that you don't know about your Miraculouses, isn't there?"

Ladybug gripped the string of her yo-yo tightly and spun it faster. "Bring it on then!"

"Ladybug, I don't think this is a good idea," Chat Noir said. "The people are more important than this man over here. We have to get going before people get hurt!"

"But Chat—"

Her partner was already beginning to move towards the exit. "Ladybug, we need to go before everything gets worse!"

Despite her wanting to protest, she knew that partner was right; the priority had to be on the innocent civilians and the more time they wasted, the more people would get hurt. She was very reluctant to let go of this opportunity but she knew her place. She knew her duty. She remembered her promise to the people on that day when she fought Stoneheart and saved the mayor's daughter in front of the Eiffel Tower. Ladybug scowled at the supervillain. "Once this is over, I'm coming back to wipe that smug grin off your face!"

"Take you time, foolish girl. I shall be waiting—if you're still alive by then." Hawk Moth was still laughing like a madman as Chat Noir and Ladybug left through the same window opening in which they had arrived from.

* * *

The streets of Paris were already in chaos by the time Ladybug and Chat Noir descended upon their first supervillain. They quickly fought to subdue the large, muscular and golden-skinned man carrying a pair of dumbbells who was terrorising the local gym. Chat Noir crushed the man's weightlifting tools with his baton while Ladybug caught the escaping Akuma with her yo-yo. Without wasting time to celebrate their first victory, they hurried on to the next victim without hesitation. A man of leaves who commanded the wind and nature was next, an environmentalist who was scorned by some large corporation or other. In quick rapid succession, the superheroic duo subdued the man and then went on to take down a fiery dancer and a cold mistress of water and ice afterwards.

If there were bards and minstrels to sing songs and write poems of their heroics, today would be the day when the miraculous tales of Ladybug and Chat Noir would be the greatest story ever told. In less than an hour, Ladybug and Chat Noir had defeated nearly a dozen supervillains. However, the city was still under siege. There were still scores of Akumas fluttering about, seeking and latching on to citizens at a seemingly random manner and turning them into powerful supervillains hell-bent on only one thing: to obtain Ladybug's earrings and Chat Noir's ring.

By the two hour mark, the superheroes of Paris had defeated nearly two dozen of these powerful beings with no end in sight. They had been fighting continuously without the advantage of their special powers and they grew weary with each new enemy that they faced. They knew that if they resorted to their powers, they would have to waste precious time to let their respective kwamis recover afterwards. And so they continued to fight, intentionally handicapping themselves, risking more than ever as they put down dangerous supervillains in their war path.

Eventually they met a famous hunter mocked for what may have been a recent spate of fiascoes and failures. Now that very hunter had taken the form of one enormous crocodile with razor-sharp spines jutting out from its back, proclaiming a great hunt throughout the city of Paris. Unsurprisingly, Ladybug and Chat Noir was its prey. The Crocopine would snap at the heroes with its enormous teeth and swipe with its powerful tail. When they tried to stay out of its reach, it hurled spines as long as javelins at them.

"Where the hell is the Akuma hiding?" Ladybug dodged another barrage of spines as she swung in circles around the Crocopine. "I don't see a single thing on its body!"

"I don't know, maybe there's a clock inside its belly?" Chat Noir twirled his baton to form a make-shift shield, blocking another dozen or so spikes coming his way.

"I wish." Ladybug back-flipped over a large garbage bin and ducked behind it. She rested her back against its wavy metal exterior and exhaled. Sneaking a peek around the corner, she spotted the Crocopine lurking close by, its head turning from side to side as its eyes scanned the streets for its prey.

Chat Noir dropped down to her side from above. "Maybe you can try to use your Lucky Charm."

"You know I can't, Chat. If I do—"

"I know, but I can cover for you while you let your kwami eat… well, whatever your kwami eats. There's still a lot of cat left in me." The black cat pounded on his chest as a gesture of strength.

The garbage bin was suddenly flung aside, smashing into the nearby wall and crumpling like a soda can with a most sickening crunch. The guttural growl that followed was the cue for Ladybug and Chat Noir to take off before a large tail swept across their hiding spot. Ladybug dodged and launched herself towards the rooftops while her feline partner vaulted after her, whirling around only to deflect another dozen or so missiles that were flung in their direction.

"We're running out of options, Ladybug. If you won't use your Lucky Charm, maybe I can find some use for my Cataclysm instead."

"No Chat, don't." Ladybug threw her yo-yo skyward to unleash her magical power. "Lucky Charm!"

A long and slender red fishing rod materialised overhead and dropped onto her open arms. She stared at the implement with a puzzled look. "What am I supposed to fish with this?"

The crack of a sharp spine colliding with Chat Noir's metal staff brought Ladybug out of her thoughts. Her partner stood with his back against her, spinning his baton-staff in a defencive manner. Another volley of spines flew towards them, then scattered to the expert twirling of his weapon. "Snap out of it, My Lady. You gotta stay focused and stay sharp! We're on a clock here—"

"Wait, what did you say?" She remembered Chat's words. It was so silly, yet it totally made sense. She ran out in the open to face the Crocopine while yelling to her partner, "Chat, cover me!"

"My, what a big mouth you have," Chat Noir said as he landed close to the supervillain. "All the better to show off that stinking breath of yours?"

Enraged, the Crocopine launched a storm of spikes at the black cat. He spun his baton at blinding speed, deftly knocking the projectiles aside. All this while, he inched himself closer and closer towards the creature. When he got close enough, he took a swipe at it with the metal rod. It ducked and spun aside to avoid the blow and, going through the same motion, swept its tail underneath his feet. Chat managed to leap over the powerful appendage and went for an upward swing. His weapon caught the supervillain underneath its chin. It threw back its head and let out a loud yelp.

Ladybug took the opportunity and threw a fishing line into the supervillain's open mouth. Her aim was true, the hook reaching the depths of its belly. With a tug, she pulled a large, round analogue clock from out of the depths. As she reeled the object towards herself, she realised that this was it. All that was needed to do was to break the clock and the Akuma would be released. She could wait for it to reach her, but Chat Noir was closer and could do the deed much sooner. She called out to her partner: "Chat, do it now!"

Chat instantly jumped after the clock with his baton raised over his head. The Crocopine spun on its heels and presented its back to them. It was a desperation move: all of its remaining spines were loosed in that single instant. Ladybug watched the scene play out as if time had suddenly slowed down to a crawl. Chat Noir took his eyes off the clock for a very brief moment to look upon his Lady. He smiled the sweetest smile she had ever seen. His eyes went back to the clock. One downswing was all it took to smash the clock into pieces. The moment his foot touched the ground, he spun around and batted a multitude of javelin-like spines out of the air. Moments later, they began to dissolve into black wisps of smoke that disappeared with the wind.

Once the threat was over, he spun around to meet his Lady and offered a smile. It was a weak smile, for there was a slight trickle of blood forming from the side of his lip. He dropped to his knees and fell flat on his face.

Ladybug immediately rushed to her partner's side. There were puncture wounds littered all over his body, but the spikes that had caused them had already disappeared along with the Akumatized victim's transformation. Blood trickled out of Chat Noir's wounds, seeping into his costume and staining Ladybug's own spotted suit. "Chat! Chat!"

His eyes were glazed as he lay in Ladybug's arms. She wasn't aware that her tears were dripping onto his face. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out at first. He coughed, and now blood stained even his mouth. "L-Lady… bug…" His voice was soft and raspy.

"Chat, please stay with me. Please… I—I don't know what to do…"

"N-Not your f-fault…" His hand found its place on her cheek. He caressed her face for a while before lowering his hand and placed both hands over his chest. There, he began to tug at the ring on his right ring finger. "F-Find… another C-Chat…"

"No. No, you silly cat. You're my one and only Chat Noir. There can't be any other." Ladybug leaned forward and placed her hands over his own. She didn't want him to take off his ring. She didn't want it to end like this. "Please, Chat…"

Despite her protests, he still tugged at his ring and pulled it off. In a flash of light, Adrien Agreste was Chat Noir no more. He looked into her with those dreamy, green eyes of his.

"Adrien?" Ladybug gasped. "You—you're Chat Noir?"

"C-Cat's out of t-the bag, huh?" A smile formed on Adrien's lips. It was a weak one, but it was all that he could afford in this state.

"Adrien, n-no, it can't be…" She squeezed his hands as her tears flowed onto both their hands. It was all too much for her. Losing Chat Noir was already devastating; Chat Noir and Adrien Agreste all in one day? No words could describe the amount of pain that she was in. Then suddenly she pulled her hand back and stared at her ring finger, looking utterly dumbfounded. When did Adrien manage to slip his ring onto her? She tried not to pay attention to that mischievous, yet pained, grin on his face. "Adrien…?"

"Looks like w-we're engaged now, My L-Lady…"

"Adrien, you can't. You're Chat Noir. I can't do this… please!"

"I love you, My—My… Lady…" Adrien's strength left him and he would not hold her hand any longer. It fell lifelessly to his side, his eyes closing one last time.

"Adrien, I love you! I love you too! I have loved you ever since that day in the rain when you first gave me that umbrella of yours! Do you remember? Please tell me you do. Please, Adrien, wake up. Wake up, damn it! Wake up, please!" Ladybug wrapped her arms around the limp body of her former partner and brought him up for an embrace. She held on to him for what seemed like an eternity, while her sobs continued to soak up her mask and her face.

"I'm so sorry, Ladybug."

She was only vaguely aware of the new voice coming from her side. She barely registered the small black cat kwami hovering beside her but she didn't say a word. She continued to bury her face in Adrien's chest. That was all that she could think of now. That, and her failure. _If only I hadn_ _'t been so impatient to break the clock_ …

"Ladybug, I know you're in a state of shock, but now is not the time to wallow in grief. Paris still needs Ladybug. Paris also needs a new Chat Noir." The black cat kwami slowly hovered closer to her face and reached out to touch her cheek.

"Y-you're wrong," Ladybug said. She gently lay Adrien's body down on the ground and knelt by his side, her head hung down as she stared at the ring on her finger. "Paris doesn't need Ladybug. At least not this one. This Ladybug's such a careless and useless wreck. I don't deserve to be Ladybug."

"W-What are you saying?" the kwami asked.

Ladybug stared and toyed with the ring on her finger. She clenched her fists and shut her eyes. Her hands reached up to her ears, wanting to remove those precious stones that had been with her ever since the first day she became a superhero. There was a soft and melodious note that sang like the plucking of a harp's string in that brief moment when two Miraculouses brushed against one another. "If I wasn't Ladybug, all of this would never have happened. If someone else were Ladybug—someone stronger than me—Adrien would still be alive today. None of this would have happened."

"Ladybug, no!"

The kwami's pleading voice sounded distant, and very soon she could no longer hear its voice. In fact, she could not hear a single thing around her as she was engulfed in a bright, white light. She felt a brief yet magical tingling sensation from both her finger and her ears, but before she even realised what was going on, everything was already fading away as if it was all but a dream.

* * *

"Mari, run!"

Nino's voice shook Marinette out of her daze. She blinked, trying to reconcile everything that had just stormed back into her mind in that one instant. She stared at her friend who was desperately trying to act brave in front of her. She thought of Alya and Adrien. She couldn't be in two places at the same time, but yet all her friends needed her. She simply had to help. With her mind made up, she calmly got up to her feet and looked for the quickest way back to the warehouse. She had to turn her back on Nino. She could not, and would not, allow for the same mistake to repeat itself—she had to find a way to save those two idiots even if it meant facing down Hawk Moth herself.

"Nino," she cried out to the boy as she spun around and prepared to sprint towards her destination. "Please do me a favour?"

"Anything for you, Mari!"

"Don't die."


	8. Crisis (Part II)

**Chapter 8: Crisis (II)**

There was an eerie sense of stillness outside the warehouse. Not a single soul was in sight; dry leaves strewn across the concrete yard would rustle like the flapping of butterfly wings when a slight breeze blew across the empty grounds. To the ordinary citizen, the place was abandoned but Marinette knew what evil lurked within. The occasional clang of metal on metal that disturbed the silence of the place was her proof that a great battle between the forces of good and evil were well under way. As she stepped onto the warehouse grounds and made her way towards the main building, she hunched herself to maintain a low profile and stayed in the shadows as much as possible to avoid being noticed by any of the increasing numbers of Akumas flying overhead.

The sheet metal walls by the side of the main building's entrance suddenly deformed outward with a crunching sound while a short metal baton flew through the open door and landed close to her feet. Without breaking her stride, she bent down to scoop the weapon up and then made her way into the building, pausing outside the entrance only to cast a glance skyward one last time. She didn't like what she saw, but the battle within was more important.

The inside of the warehouse was certainly a lot noisier than the outside. Perhaps all the soft fabric acted as soundproofing material that dampened the sound of battle. There was also a constant fluttering of wings permeating the entire warehouse as flocks of butterflies—both white and black—flew in serpentine formations, spiralling to and fro, occupying every nook and cranny. Ladybug swung from an overhead beam, narrowly missing a flight of black butterflies that had launched themselves towards her at the command of Hawk Moth. The supervillain himself stood calmly within the eye of the butterfly storm, hovering atop a platform of white wings while directing them with his walking stick.

Chat Noir groaned as he climbed out of the teenager-sized deformation on the wall. He rubbed the back of his neck and shook his head rapidly, stopping only when he noticed Marinette standing by the door. "Mari…?"

Marinette tossed Chat Noir's baton back to him. "I think this belongs to you."

"What the hell are you doing, traitor?" Ladybug scowled as she swung across from one end of the building to the other while avoiding fast-flying Akumas. She landed on a soft platform of neatly stacked piles of plain-coloured cloth and spun her yo-yo in a wide arc, capturing several butterflies in the process. The main flock withdrew to avoid her follow-up swings, fluttering just barely out of reach while waiting for the perfect moment to strike back.

"Ah, the final pawn has returned to the board. All three pieces are now back in play. The clock ticks towards zero hour and the endgame is about to commence," Hawk Moth said. With a subtle gesture of his jewel-encrusted cane, the doors behind Marinette suddenly slammed shut. The flickering shadows between the gaps around doors and windows, and the flapping of wings outside, strongly hinted at heavy Akuma presence outside the premises.

Ladybug landed beside Chat Noir and deftly swung her yo-yo around like it was some kind of performing act. "Congratulations Hawk Moth, you've just trapped yourself in here with us."

"That's not the point, Ladybug. We need to be outside, helping people instead of fighting inside," Chat said. He slowly inched his way towards the exit. He held his arm out to the side, both as a shielding gesture towards Marinette while at the same time ushering her to move back out with him.

"No, Chat." Marinette gently pushed his arm out of the way and stepped forward. She stared at the supervillain and steeled herself to face him again. "There are no more Akumas attacking the city. You've called them all back here in order to help you fight. There was never a moral dilemma to begin with. If Chat Noir and Ladybug had left, you would have let your Akumas go wild. But since they decided to stay and fight, you've brought them all back. That was your bluff all along and I've called it."

Hawk Moth's laughter was both loud and frightening at the same time. Marinette felt a shiver run down her back as the entire warehouse echoed with the flapping of wings. The Akumas outside nearly blotted out all of the sunlight that came in through the windows. "You truly are a Ladybug, Miss Dupain-Cheng."

"What the hell does that even mean?" Ladybug muttered.

If looks could kill, Marinette's stare would have snuffed the life out of the supervillain already. "Why does that matter to you?"

"Absolutely nothing, girl. You don't have a Miraculous. You aren't a threat to me. But this confirm that you are indeed another Ladybug from another timeline. Perhaps one where you and your other Chat Noir lost and now, you are trying to right your wrongs?" Hawk Moth's eyes widened and his lips curled upwards in delight as if things started becoming clear to him. "So, you decided to leave and fight my supervillians. You tried to help those poor, innocent civilians outside. Let me guess—you lost. That is why you've come crawling back here, to convince this timeline's Ladybug and Chat Noir to stand and fight instead. This is your flashpoint—the critical moment from your very own history—the very mistake which you are now trying to right."

"Mari, is this true?" Chat Noir said.

Ladybug gasped. "So when you were trying to take my earrings…"

"All that doesn't matter now," Marinette said. She held her fist tightly and close to her heart, so close she could almost feel every single rhythmic beating through her chest. It was the feeling of being alive. It was a feeling that reminded her of who she was, and all the people she held dear to her. "I'm done wallowing in the past. It doesn't matter who I was and what I did. What's important is now. You're going down, Hawk Moth. It doesn't matter if you go down by my hand or by another Ladybug's, but one way or another I'll see it through all the way."

"Bold words, Miss Dupain-Cheng. You think you're trying to be a hero and do the right thing, don't you?" There was a sneer on his face, mocking her, challenging her. "But let me ask you this: How do you think you ended up here? You think everything you did was all that heroic? No, you're just as much a villain as what you all label me as. That's right, girl. There's nothing altruistic about your need to set things right. By merely existing in this timeline, you're living proof that you've already done deeds no hero would have done. Who's the villain now, Miss Dupain-Cheng?"

"Shut up!" Chat Noir slammed his weapon down onto the concrete ground, creating a large spidery crack that spread out from the point of impact. "Don't talk to Marinette like that. She's nothing like you at all. Absolutely nothing. You don't get to try and twist things with your words. You—you're the villain here, and you're going down today!"

The supervillain pointed his cane at the three of them. "Then come. Fight me. Show me what you can do."

"I'll wipe that smug look off your face," Ladybug said as she threw her yo-yo at his outstretched hand. With a flick of his wrist, he bat the projectile aside before it could even begin to wrap around his weapon. The yo-yo spun out of control and wrapped around the railing of the adjacent walkway. She used this opportunity to pull herself up to the same level as the supervillain.

Chat Noir launched himself into the air and took a swing at Hawk Moth. The supervillain ducked underneath the sweeping blow and took a step back. As Chat landed on the platform, Hawk Moth lashed out towards his feet, forcing him to leap away.

Now both Ladybug and Chat Noir were on the same platform as Hawk Moth. They flanked him from both sides with Chat rushing in from the left while Ladybug approached from the right. Chat had his baton extended into a short staff and lunged at the supervillain like a fencer. Hawk Moth leaned forward to meet the attack, parrying the staff with his cane and pushing himself closer to the black-clad superhero. Chat shoved back but was met with a boot to the chest, sending him stumbling backwards.

Hawk Moth immediately spun around and snatched Ladybug's yo-yo out of the air, as if he knew what she was doing. As if he had eyes behind him. Marinette gasped as she began to realise the number of Akumas that have been building up indoors, creeping in through the cracks and then hiding inside corners and in blind spots all over the warehouse. She ducked underneath a landing in between the stairs that connected the ground floor to an upper walkway and began observing the Akumas inside the building. _Their eyes were his eyes_ , she thought.

Up ahead, Hawk Moth still held on to Ladybug's yo-yo and yanked the girl towards him. Chat Noir began to charge from behind, but his advance was halted by a wall of black wings that suddenly sprang forth in front of him. Ladybug, on the other hand, let herself be pulled closer to the supervillain. She raised her free hand and balled it up into a fist, ready to strike, but Hawk Moth seemed prepared, knowing her intent in advance. He lazily tilted his head back to avoid the wild swing and then brought his cane down on her. There was a loud crack and Ladybug yelped in pain. She scrambled away from the supervillain just as Chat Noir finally cleared his obstacle and raced towards him.

Chat Noir's baton met Hawk Moth's jewel-encrusted cane as their duel began in earnest. They both fought like fencers; Chat Noir certainly borrowed a lot from Adrien Agreste's fencing lessons but Hawk Moth also responded in kind. He was also clearly an experienced fencer but there was also this annoying grin on the supervillain's face, as if he was enjoying the fight. As if he was just toying with the black-clad superhero. Irregardless, Chat Noir's advance grew even more aggressive as he continued to jab, swing and thrust his way towards the supervillain. Even though he could not get past the supervillain's ironclad defence, he still managed to push Hawk Moth back so he kept pressing forward while the supervillain seemed content in being on the defencive, giving up ground and retreating into the main office.

As the duelling pair disappeared into the office, Marinette pulled herself up onto the landing and ran towards Ladybug. She was still sitting on the ground with her legs splayed out to her sides. Her yo-yo lay by on the metal grilles. "Ladybug…"

"Shut up. This is all your fault."

Marinette reached out to Ladybug but the superheroine shied away from her. "Ladybug—Alya, please. I know you're still angry but you're still my friend and I care about you both."

Ladybug turned around and rested her back against the railing. She lifted her arm; the string and loop to her yo-yo dangled from her finger but the rest of her hand was limp. "I doesn't matter anymore. I think he broke my hand."

"Let me see."

"Not your problem." Ladybug winced as she withdrew her hand, holding it closer to her body. "Get out of here before it's too late."

"That's not going to happen. Now are you going to let me help you or not?"

"Help, how?" Ladybug squirmed and pushed herself away as Marinette tried to lean closer. "Oh, maybe you want to take my Miraculous and see if you can fare better and defeat Hawk Moth yourself?"

Marinette sighed. Her friend's words were as sharp as a razor but she would not allow them to cut her. "Alya, I—I realise how wrong I was. No matter who I was before, it was still wrong for me to try and take your Miraculous and I truly regret it. I was selfish and for that, I am sorry. I may have been Ladybug elsewhere but in this world, I am not. You are. So you need to pull yourself together and get back into the fight. Adrien needs you. I need you. All of Paris needs you."

Ladybug looked away. "You say that, but what good is a Ladybug who cannot even swing her own yo-yo?"

"Then use the other one." Marinette reached out to caress her friend's injured hand, before moving on to her finger, slipping the loop of the yo-yo off it and then transferring it to the other hand. "In this world, you're Ladybug, not me, and you deserve your moment of glory."

"You know I'm not that good with this hand."

"How on earth did you manage to handle Pixelator is beyond me." Marinette chuckled. "I'm sure you'll manage. After all, you're the one with the super powers here. You have all the good luck that you need on your side."

"Actually—"

A crash and a scattering of glass interrupted the pair. Chat Noir flew out of the main office window and landed on the dusty floor below. Hawk Moth stood at the broken window and tossed the metal baton out. It spun in mid-air and landed beside Char Noir's prone form with a metallic clatter. "You're a good fencer, but not good enough," the supervillain mocked.

"Chat!" Marinette sprung to her feet and ran down the nearest stair. She reached him as Chat Noir had begun to pick himself up. "Chat, are you hurt?"

"Marinette, you need to get out of here." Chat Noir held out his hand, gesturing for Marinette to stay back. "It's too dangerous to be here now."

"I will, but not before you defeat Hawk Moth."

"No one is going anywhere," Hawk Moth said as he re-emerged out the door of the main office. The Akumas that had been gathering all across the warehouse began to swarm around the supervillain, forming a dark cloud of pure darkness. He raised his cane and pointed down at Marinette and Chat Noir, its jewel now bubbling with an unspeakable mass of black, writhing magic. "It is now time to end this amusing folly. I will pry your Miraculouses off your dead bodies afterwards."

The swarm of Akumas began to flap their wings faster and faster, becoming more agitated as Hawk Moth spoke. Marinette could feel an overwhelming sensation of pure evil permeate the entire warehouse. She got up and stood in front of Hawk Moth with her back against Chat Noir. "On second thought, I think we all need to get out. Now."

"You can say that again," Chat Noir said as he reached up to hold Marinette's hand. She thought that he just wanted help to pull himself and obliged, so she was surprised when he suddenly pulled her to the ground, taking her place in her stead. "Sorry Marinette, but a hero's got to do what a hero does." He formed a shield with his baton, already anticipating whatever the supervillain was planning to unleash upon them all.

"Lucky Charm!"

Marinette snapped her head towards Ladybug and found her red spotted friend palming a can of aerosol spray. She had a confused look as she stared at the can, then took one look at Hawk Moth and smiled. She threw the can at the cloud of Akumas above the supervillain and then followed up with a strike with her yo-yo. Her off-hand attack went wide but she spun it around for a second go, puncturing the can after it had dropped somewhat lower than she originally intended.

The can exploded when its contents were forcibly ejected from the rupture. The blast unleashed a mist of chemicals that engulfed both Hawk Moth and his cloud of Akumas. The supervillain clutched at his face and screamed. Black butterflies dropped to the ground in droves as the pesticide-like contents took its toll on the swarm. However, not all of the swarm was affected by the mist. The remaining Akumas began to pulsate in dark energies, about to burst at any moment.

Chat Noir spun around and covered Marinette in a protective embrace while Ladybug lashed out at another walkway dangling overhead the swarm. She struck a pair of support beams, destabilising the platform. It shook briefly, then dropped onto the platform below, collapsing onto Hawk Moth and his black swarm. Unfortunately Ladybug was also standing at the other end of the platform, and so she tumbled down to the ground with it.

Marinette felt Chat Noir's embrace loosen for a moment, and then he suddenly stiffened. She felt a dark wave flood the entire ground floor, coursing through the warehouse like a concussive force. The impact made noticeable impressions on the warehouse's sheet metal walls, crushed machinery and flinging textiles aside. Metal support beams dropped from overhead, some landing dangerously close. Marinette was forced to shut her eyes and hold her breathe as the destruction around her kicked up a thick cloud of dust and other airborne particles.

When the cacophony of destruction had finally ended, Marinette opened her eyes and squinted at the bright noon sun that shone down on her. The roof of the warehouse had given in, along with almost two thirds of the surrounding walls. She was surrounded by a mess of fallen, disfigured metal beams and sheets. It was a miracle that none had crushed them both. Her clothes were soaking wet and she wanted to ask Chat Noir to move aside, only to be taken aback in horror when she realised that it was his blood that stained her clothes.

Marinette cradled Chat Noir in her arms. The back of his costume had been completely dissolved, no doubt by whatever dark energies that the Akumas had released in their final throes of destruction. Without the protection of his suit, a pair of metal rods that fell from above had pierced his upper body and abdomen. He coughed when he tried to speak. "M-Mari… nette… a-are you h-hurt?"

She bent down and let her tears drip on his face as she whispered close to his ear. "No, Chat. Thanks to you, I'm not hurt at all."

"I'm glad," he said with a raspy voice. "Did—did we win?"

She tore her gaze away from the boy and surveyed her surroundings once more. Hawk Moth was nowhere to be found. He either lay, crushed by the metal, or had somehow escaped and would be back another day. She hoped that the former were true but until the police arrived to investigate, there was simply no telling just what had happened to the supervillain. "I—I think so."

"Good." He closed his eyes and rested his hands over his chest. His breathing slowed and even as Marinette's eyes watered even more, his chest eventually stopped moving altogether.

A creak of metal made her heart jump. Underneath a pile of metal sheets and rods, she spotted a spotted red gloved hand. Ladybug pulled herself out from underneath, using only one hand as leverage. She gasped at the sight of Chat Noir in Marinette's arms and, with a sudden surge of determination, forced her way through the wreckage and stumbled out towards them. "A-Adrien?"

Marinette looked up at her friend, all teary-eyed, and slowly shook her head from side to side. She gently ran her fingers through the boy's blond hair and let her tears drip down onto him. "I'm so sorry, Alya."

 _Not again_ … That thought played endlessly in her head even as the police arrived to canvas the scene of the battle.

* * *

Over the next few days, Marinette stayed at home. She spent most of her time in her room, only coming out for regular meals or when friends had come to visit. It wasn't that she was depressed. It wasn't that she was sulking after everything that had happened. No, it was the constant hounding of reporters and paparazzi that forced her into a temporary recluse. After all, she and Ladybug were the only two people at ground zero to the hottest news in Paris, France, and probably the world too, and she was already sick of it. She could not spend a single moment of her life in peace. It was all because the police had found the supervillain crushed under metal and concrete and soon, their identities were plastered all over the news. Even unrelated magazines and newsletters featured their stories as if it was the only newsworthy thing worth printing. As the only civilian witness to the incident, everyone wanted a piece of her story. Everyone wanted an exclusive interview. The whole world wanted her to talk about things she preferred to be left unsaid.

And so she was trapped by her own fame (or infamy, as sometimes she might call it). It had gotten so bad that she had to enlist the aid of her friends just to sneak out during the day, if only to visit Nino at the hospital. Yes, that foolishly brave young boy somehow managed to survive his encounter with the Crocopine, though the amount of stitches on him and the big, fat cast around his leg attested to the great danger that he faced that day. Even when she did manage to see him, they had to keep their interactions short because sooner or later, some gossip channel or paparazzi would catch wind of their rendezvous and scurry to the hospital like ants converging on the last drop of honey on Earth.

The rest of the time though, Marinette hid in her room. Occasionally she would sit down and begin to knit. She intended to make a veil, or at least something to hide her face when she managed to sneak out without attracting members of the press. At other times, she would speak to Plagg, though they didn't really talk much. The only reason the black cat kwami was in her care was because Ladybug left Adrien's ring with her and took off without saying a single word. Perhaps the arrival of the police on that fateful day prevented them from speaking further about it. Or perhaps Ladybug planned it that way, leaving at the right time so that she couldn't protest the act. Either way, she could not even understand why Alya did the things she did. Regardless of her motivations, Marinette had a kwami with an insatiable appetite for cheese to take care of, and so she did just that to pass the time.

Marinette's parents, on the other hand, did not question why their daughter suddenly started making more cheese than bread in the kitchen. They probably chalked it up to it being her method of coping. Probably.

Alya had it much better, Marinette had thought, even though the girl was still grieving over the loss of Adrien. Still, the girl could easily walk outside without getting hounded by the press as her secret identity remained intact. Marinette did not speak much to Alya though; perhaps she still could not bear to face her friend as a part of her blamed herself for all the trouble that she had caused. Still, the girl would drop by the bakery to say a few words that were passed on through her parents. It was, at least, a way for them to remain in touch with one another and she had her parents to thank for it.

On the day of Chat Noir's funeral, all of Paris stood at a standstill. It was as if nearly every citizen in France had come all the way to the Cimetière du Père-Lachaise, if only to catch one last glance of the famous superhero who gave his life for Paris and to pay their final respects. For some, it was a day of mourning and for others, a day of celebration—Hawk Moth has been vanquished, even if it was at a great cost. For many, the tomb of Adrien Agreste and Chat Noir was also a huge tourist attraction. The Mayor of Paris had contracted for an exquisite sculpture of the hero to be made and erected over the Agreste mausoleum, and today was the day that this work of art would be unveiled to the public for the very first time. As for the supervillain himself, no one wanted to speak of the man even though the world already knew who he was. They'd rather talk openly of the hero Adrien Agreste while silently cursing the enemy of Paris in their hearts.

Marinette quietly pushed her way through the enormous crowd, keeping her head down and hidden underneath the veil that she had completed during her times in isolation. Her designer sunglasses not only helped to protect her eyes from the hot morning sun but also to hide her identity from prying eyes. All she wanted to do was to say her final goodbye; nothing more and nothing less. However, when she had finally arrived at the tomb, she found the area to be unsurprisingly hounded by members of the press, famous celebrities and other well-to-doers and good-for-nothings. She didn't want to attract any attention to herself, so she kept to the shadows and waited.

By noon, the crowd at the cemetery was still at full force. It was only the threat of rain later in the afternoon that slowly dissuaded the rabble from staying longer. It was nearly evening when the crowd had finally dispersed, leaving Marinette all alone with her former partner and love of her life. The little bouquet of pink carnations that she had kept close to her all this while were no longer in pristine condition after surviving the brunt of the day's fully-packed activities but, to her, it was the thought that counts. She knelt down only to gently lay the flowers onto his lavish, exquisitely crafted tomb before standing again. With her head bowed and her eyes closed, she thought of Adrien. She reminisced all the days she had spent with him. The good, fighting supervillains and protecting the people of Paris, and the bad, with all her nervous stuttering around the boy model.

The light drizzle began to turn into a heavy downpour but Marinette paid no heed to the weather. She was calm; at peace. Perhaps she was even ready to move on with her life, after coming to terms with herself and getting the closure that she so dearly needed all this while. The pitter patter of the rain drops hitting an umbrella held above her head interrupted her silent soliloquy. She was vaguely aware of another girl standing beside her, dressed in a heavy brown coat and veiled hat.

"How are you holding up?" Alya asked.

"Okay… I guess. Your hand?"

"Better."

Marinette reached into her coat and palmed the cold, metal ring that was Chat Noir's Miraculous in her hand. She didn't know why she even brought it with her in the first place. She was most definitely not going to simply leave it at the tomb. It just felt like something she needed to bring. For closure, perhaps. Either way, she no longer had any reason to hold on to it. It was time for it to return to its caretaker. She held it up to let her eyes gaze upon it for one last time. "I suppose you're here to take this back."

"No. It's yours now."

Marinette turned to stare at her friend. "You know I can't, Alya. After all that I've done, I don't deserve this."

Alya only smiled. She seemed conflicted, with only her eyes betraying a hint of sadness in them. "I never got the chance to ask, Marinette. In your world, when you were Ladybug, how was Adrien? Was he alive and well?"

Marinette shut her eyes and tilted her head down. She couldn't say it. She couldn't—wouldn't—answer her friend's question. What could she possibly tell her? That Adrien was also dead because of her? The tears were already trying to force their way through her eyelids when she felt her friend's hand on her shoulder.

"Marinette?"

"I'm sorry, Alya." Marinette whimpered. "I'm so useless. Whether I am Ladybug or not, disaster always comes to everyone around me. I might as well be the one who died in their stead."

"You wanted these, don't you?"

Marinette opened her eyes to find the pair of Ladybug earrings being pushed into her hand. She opened her mouth to protest, but Alya already pressed her hand shut around the jewels.

"This world is a lie, isn't it? It only came to being because of some mistake that you made. That's why you came here. That's why you did all the things that you did. You only wanted to fix things. So fix this lie. Make everything right again. Be the hero that Adrien thinks you are. Perhaps then, and only then, can I truly move on now that Adrien no longer draws breath here in this world."

"Alya, I—I don't know if I can." Marinette shook her head. "What if I just make it worse? I can't just keep altering the world over and over again for our own selfish reasons. Hawk Moth was right. I never should have caused all this. Everything that has happened until now is my fault and, for both the good and the bad, I have to take responsibility and accept it all. I certainly don't deserve to be entrusted with this power."

"And this is the very reason why I think you do," Alya said. She continued to smile even though her eyes were already beginning to wet. Still, she held her hand tightly around Marinette's, disallowing her from returning the gift. "Don't let Hawk Moth's words get to you, Marinette. He may be right, but only in his own twisted logic of what's right and what's wrong. You were never the villain in the first place. I've already come to terms with that fact. You're a good person at heart. Adrien saw that. I think I see it too. You just need to learn to forgive yourself."

Marinette managed to eke out a soft smile. "Adrien said that to me once. Alya, how do I forgive myself when I don't even trust myself to?"

"It's just a feeling. Perhaps echoes from a once forgotten timeline trying to reestablish itself?" Alya shrugged. She crouched briefly to scoop up a small handful of soil from the ground before standing up again. She stared at the damp, earthen soil in her hand for a moment before tossing it towards Adrien's tomb. "This world was a mistake. I'm beginning to sense it now, as if my real self is somehow screaming at this false shell of me, telling me to do the right thing. Maybe I'm just grasping at straws, trying to rationalise my own despair. Maybe I'm having an identity crisis. Or—or perhaps there is a sliver of truth in what I'm feeling. Either way, they are all point me to the same thing. They want me to do the right thing for you and so, here I am, doing just that. Marinette, correct that mistake. Be the Ladybug that you claim to be."

The red kwami materialised in the space between the two of them, her face looking down and sullen. She turned to Alya and said, "Alya, I trust your decision and wish you all the best. You have been a both a good Ladybug and a great partner." She then spun around and met with Marinette's gaze. "I hope you will live up to your promise, Marinette. You now have the power of gods in your hands."

Marinette nodded. She opened her hand and studied the Miraculouses in her palm. "I'll do everything in my power to make things right. I promise… even if I'm not exactly sure how."

"Please make a world filled with Camembert," Plagg said as the tiny black cat materialised beside Tikki, only to get smacked on the back of his head by the red kwami.

"That's not how it works, you stupid kitty!"

Marinette chuckled. "Stupid kitty. I called Adrien—Chat Noir—that sometimes."

"Then don't keep your stupid kitty waiting," Alya said as she playfully shoved Marinette in the shoulder.

Marinette slipped the ring around her finger and closed her eyes. She could already feel that familiar tingle of magical energy as she affixed the pair of ladybug stones to her ears. She remembered the words that Master Fu had said to her once: _I have only been wrong once in my life. When I made the decision to hand out the earrings of the Ladybug and the ring of the Black Cat to two very promising youths of Paris, I promised myself that I would not make the same mistake twice. I have yet to decide if I can call this one a mistake or not_.

 _Don't worry, Master_ , Marinette thought. _You were not wrong. I won't disappoint you ever again_.

 _Whoever controls the powers of Creation and Destruction at the same time will achieve absolute power_ , Wayzz had said. Whoever wielded such power would become a god. Hawk Moth thought so. Even Tikki just said so.

 _I don't want to be a god_ , she thought. _I just want to be a hero_.


	9. Epilogue

**Chapter 9: Epilogue**

"Marinette, wake up!"

Marinette heard a constant and periodic buzzing as she slowly opened her eyes, only to squint and shield them from the bright sunlight that shone through the windows. She blinked several times before her eyes had become accustomed to the room that she was in. The buzzing continued until her hand reached out and felt a familiar, rectangular device that vibrated in her hand. It was her phone and its alarm was blaring.

She immediately shot up and glanced at the screen. Sunday morning, 7:02 a.m. Her thumb instinctively went for the snooze button; she was almost about to drop back into bed when a most familiar voice called out to her again: "You're going to be late, Marinette!"

Tikki hovered barely within an arms reach of her. Behind the little red spotted kwami, a large poster of Adrien Agreste stared back at her while wearing a set from the latest summer collection. As her eyes adjusted to the warm and familiar sight of her room, she spotted and recognised even more pictures of the young boy model plastered all over the wall and in frames propped up on her desk.

"Tikki," Marinette said as she cupped the little kwami and brought her to her cheeks for an affectionate nuzzle. Her eyes were wet when she felt the familiar sensation of her kwami's face and hands on her cheek. "I'm home."

"Marinette?"

"Don't worry about it. I'm just glad to see you again, that's all." Marinette smiled as she continued to caress Tikki in her hands.

"I'm uh… happy to see that you're awake too, but you're going to be late."

"Late?"

The kwami zipped out of Marinette's hands, crossed her own arms and stared at the girl with a raised eyebrow. "Marinette, don't tell me you have forgotten about today?"

"Oh right, that's today!" Marinette scrambled out of bed and into the bathroom. Despite already being late, she took extra care in washing herself up before slipping into her casual clothes. Today was the big day. She was going to meet up with Chat Noir and she had to look her absolute best. It either did not occur to her that everything was going to be hidden behind the mask anyway, or that she didn't care. All she had on her mind when she climbed the loft stairs leading to the roof was Adrien Agreste. After spending a moment to take in the early morning Parisian air in her face, she looked to her kwami and said the words that she had longed to say ever since the day of her predicament.

"Tikki, transform me!"

* * *

Ladybug swung round and up the Eiffel Tower, making stops on each platform to search for her elusive black-clad partner without success. She wondered if she wasn't the only one to be late. Dismissing that possibility, she landed on the top platform and took a quick stroll around the structure. "Chat?"

"I didn't know that you were the fashionably late type." Chat Noir dropped down from above, landing behind her with the grace of a cat. If not for him personally outing himself, she would not have picked up the slightest creak of metal from the spot where he landed.

Ladybug spun around to find her partner's—Adrien's—face just barely inches from her own. She could almost smell his breath from that most mischievous grin of his. On other days, she would just press her finger onto his nose and push him away, but today was special. Indeed, today was unlike any other day in the lives of these two Miraculous holders, so much so that without further hesitation, she reached out to him and pulled him in, pressing her lips onto his.

The kiss was the most innocent of sorts, and it lasted for just barely a moment, but it was enough to leave the black-clad hero speechless. His eyes were wide open, blinking several times before he finally seemed to regain composure of himself. "My—My Lady?"

Ladybug giggled. "Sorry about that." She leaned onto the rails of the platform and looked down at the bustling city beneath them. The wind that blew into her face was invigorating; she felt alive and here she was, all alone with her long-time crush and she had just stolen a kiss. She felt the warmth in her cheeks when she realised exactly what she had done. "It's just that things have been so crazy of late, and I really wanted to do this. I wanted to tell you how I feel."

"I—I'm happy that you feel that way, I—I think?"

"Chat, there's something I need to tell you, but I don't know how."

Chat Noir closed his eyes. His voice was solemn and low, as if he was no longer his usual, chipper self when he spoke. "Ladybug, if you're feeling the pressure of what we're about to do today, you can talk to me. It's all right to be scared. You didn't have to… uh… you know. I mean, it's unfair to me if you—"

"Chat, stop." Ladybug placed a finger on his lips and gently pressed them shut. "That's not what this is about, and it's not what you think. I truly and honestly feel this way about you. Also, we aren't fighting Hawk Moth today."

"We're not?" Chat Noir asked the moment she lifted her finger.

"No. You see, we've already fought him. You have fought him twice and both times, we lost. He's been preparing for this and we're just walking into a fight that we cannot win head-on."

"My Lady, I don't understand…"

Ladybug sighed. She knew this was going to be difficult, but it was something that needed to be done. She reached out and took his hand in hers. He didn't object nor resist, but simply gazed back into her eyes with a slack jaw. "I've seen the future, Chat. Today, we tried to fight Hawk Moth directly but instead of facing us, he unleashed a terrible swarm of Akumas upon the city. He knew we were coming. He had already prepared for this. He threatened to raze the city with his army of supervillains if we continued to fight him and so, we had to let him go. We had to fight, recapture and purify all those Akumas and… and…" Her voice trailed as those painful memories filled her mind.

"And?"

"You died, Chat. You died trying to protect me, and I was stupid. I was so stupid. I did something that I shouldn't have done. I—I don't really know how to explain it, but I changed the world, Chat. I changed the world for you and, in this new world, I wasn't Ladybug. But at least you were still alive and well, fighting supervillains alongside another different Ladybug. But there was no happy ending for you or for me, even in this new world. After fighting so hard, the outcome remained the same and I wasn't able to do anything to change it. And so here I am again, for the third time, hoping to make things right this time."

Chat Noir ruffled the hair on the back of his head. He looked so innocent, what with the way he played with his hair like that. "I—I'm not sure how I should process all this. It's quite a story you've got there, Ladybug."

"I know." Ladybug looked away from his gaze. She looked down at the city—her beautiful city she called home—and watched as people went about their busy lives, completely oblivious to what was coming if she had continued the path she and her partner originally chose on this ill-fated day. The thought of what would happen made her heart ache. She bit her lips and held her elbows close and tight. "I know that it is a lot to take in and I don't even blame you if you didn't believe a single word of it. But trust me, Chat. Trust me as you always have. You see, Chat, you're the most important person in the world to me. I was blind to it, and I should have realised sooner, but sometimes you don't learn to cherish the things that you hold dearest to you until they're gone. Until it's forcibly taken away from you, as you were from me. I have already watched you die twice in my arms, and it would kill me to see you die another time. I love you, Adrien Agreste, and it took two lives for me to realise that."

"I… you… me… how…"

At this point, the boy was just babbling incoherently so she leaned forward and silenced him with another kiss. As the pair were lost in each other, she quietly let her own transformation down. In that one single moment, she didn't have any other care in the world other than to share this moment with the love of her life. When they had finally separated, she was taken aback by the green glow that wafted over Chat Noir as he undid his transformation also, turning into the boy model that she had already known for so long.

"Marinette?"

"Yes, Adrien." She leaned forward and buried her face in his chest, so that she could hear his heartbeat, and so that he could not see her own face. She felt his hand come up to the back of her head, his fingers slowly tangling with her own hair. "Are—are you disappointed?"

"No, never," he whispered into her ear as he continued to hold her in his arms. "How could I ever be disappointed in you? Marinette, I'm glad that it's you. I'm glad that you're the girl I'm in love with. You—you're…"

"No, Adrien." Somehow Marinette knew. Whether it was intuition, sixth sense or some unknown super power within her, it triggered her instinctive response. "Don't you dare—"

"You're purr-fect."

She could only stare dumbfounded at that playful, silly grin of his. She should have already gotten used to it after so many times, but it still managed to take her completely by surprise at a time when she had least expected it, so much so that the didn't even know how to respond to it.

"Cat got your tongue?"

"Adrien Agreste, you make one more pun and I'm going to throw you off the side this very instant!"

"You know you love my puns." Adrien's smile could melt the heart of any girl, and he used it on her with deadly precision. She was completely speechless when he leaned forward and pressed his lips on hers.

"Ugh, that's just gross," Plagg said and was immediately smacked in the back of the head for it.

"Manners, Plagg!" Tikki's high-pitched squeal reminded Marinette that she wasn't alone with her partner at the topmost platform of the Eiffel Tower.

"Hello, Plagg." Marinette smiled as she bent down to greet the tiny black cat hovering beside Tikki. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you again. Well, not that we've actually been formally introduced in this world, but uh… you get the idea."

"Whatever, as long as I get my share of cheese." It spun around and faced Adrien and said, "You owe me a whole lot today for making me sit though this lovey dovey thing of yours."

"That's all you ever think about." Adrien chuckled. His eyes fell upon Marinette's own kwami. He gave it a courteous bow and said, "Well, I don't think we've yet before, Ladybug's kwami."

"I'm Tikki," the red spotted kwami said as she bowed in return. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Adrien."

Marinette was happy. How could she not be? She and Adrien were together now, and that meant the whole world to her. After everything that had gone wrong, things were beginning to go right for her. But there was still one last matter to settle and she was very hesitant to bring it up. Despite her reservations, it was still an elephant in the room that would need to be addressed sooner or later. "Adrien, there's one other thing…"

"Hawk Moth," Adrien stated bluntly. It was very obvious that he had his own reservations about the supervillain and, now that Marinette had already gone through the experience twice, she completely understood why Adrien was so uneasy with the subject. "What do we do about him?"

"We wait. We slowly wear him down. Even though we cannot face him head on, we can still fight him from the sidelines. Sooner or later, he's bound to make a mistake. His confidence will be his own undoing. One day, he'll let his guard down and when that happens, we'll strike from the shadows. We might even be able to take away his Miraculous without needing to start a fight. And then, and only then, would we win and rid the city of his influence once and for all."

"Those are big words, My Lady. Are you sure you're up to it?"

"Of course. With you by my side, we can stand up to anything that threatens the well-being of this city and everyone who lives in it. We're heroes, and heroes will always triumphant against evil."

* * *

Monday morning at school would be a little awkward, what with Marinette's newfound relationship with her long-standing crush, Adrien. Even if they had tried to pretend that there was nothing between the two of them, but their closest friends would notice. Alya would notice. Alya always notices.

"Well, what have we here, girl?" Alya said the moment she entered the classroom together with Nino while Marinette sat at her desk, not slumped over it nor fast asleep, but having a lively conversation with Adrien. It was an act that Marinette was probably regretting already. Alya's wide open eyes only cemented that fact. "Someone's being particularly casual with you-know-who even. You have got to fill me in about it later, girl."

"Uh… n-nothing's going on." Marinette was pretty sure that her excuse would never get past Alya, but something was better than nothing at all. "I'm just… me. Being me."

"Sure you are." Alya winked as she put her bag down and took her seat. "But I'll give you a free pass today, because you won't believe what I'm going to tell you."

Nino, who was standing behind her all this while, gave a weird look that could only mean, "Oh no, here she goes again."

"What's up?" Marinette tried to sound curious, despite Nino's vehement yet silent protest in the background.

"I had the strangest dream last night." Alya clasped her hands together, as if a tall hand handsome fairy tale prince had swept her off her feet and asked for her hand in marriage. The girl stared blankly towards the ceiling as if that handsome prince himself was calling to her from the saddle of his horse. "I dreamt that I was Ladybug!"

The mere mention of the spotted superheroine made Marinette's heart skip a beat. She probably didn't notice until much later, but she also began to hold on to Adrien's hand tightly. "L-Ladybug?"

Nino tilted his head to the side and give them a look which could only mean, "Yeah, she's been yapping to me all about it all morning and now, it's your turn."

"Yeah, it was weird. You were there, and Nino too. Even Adrien, and guess what? He was Chat Noir!"

Marinette could feel Adrien tense up behind her. Who could blame him? Alya was tethering on a very tight rope. "So what exactly did you dream about?"

"That's the weird thing," Alya said as she continued to stare at nothing in particular. "I mean, I get that it's just a dream and it's hard to remember all the details. But there were feelings, girl. Like—like the wind in my face, the thrill of swinging around from building to building, and the anticipation of going up against a big supervillain. It would have been so cool if that was all real, because I could get used to a life like that. Also—also then there was some kind of sadness, like the feeling that you've lost something… or someone. That part was really weird, but everything else was awesome."

Marinette shrugged. "Dreams can and do sometimes feel real, even though they really aren't."

"Yeah, I get that, girl. It's just that this is the first time I've ever experienced something like this and I can't shake off this strange feeling like… like…"

"A vibe?" Nino asked.

"I don't know where you get your strange terminology from. I was thinking more like… déjà vu."

Nino made more weird faces that almost had Marinette and Adrien in laughter. "That word. I do not think it means what you think it means, dude." He would then receive a punch in the shoulder for his troubles.

"Well, that's quite the dream indeed." Marinette felt relieved. She wouldn't know what to do if Alya were to suddenly suspect Adrien and herself to be the two famous heroes of Paris. Well, the girl did occasionally have her suspicions, but being reinforced by past memories that once was would just complicate things onto a new level that rocketed straight out of her comfort zone. She had already put all the weird moments and awkwardness behind and was finally beginning to take control of her life once again. In the end, things were just about to settle down, at least until Chloé Bourgeois entered the classroom.

"Adrikins, good morn—Eeek!" The high-pitched squeal of the mayor's daughter brought the whole class' attention towards her and, following her gaze, towards Marinette and Adrien. "Marinette Dupain-Cheng! How dare you hold Adrien's hand!"

That was the moment when Marinette felt the gaze of the entire classroom upon her. She and Adrien let go of one other as quickly as they humanly could, but the damage had already been done. Chloé noticed and, through her, Alya noticed. Nino's funny face in response to it could only mean, "Finally, dudes!" The rest of the class all probably felt the same way too, going by their cheers and over-the-top standing ovation, as if it was one big secret that they could finally let out.

It took quite a while for life to settle down and go back to normal for Marinette and Adrien after that incident, though only the first couple of days had a few rough patches to iron out. Alya, especially, would constantly hound Marinette for details. It took longer for Chloé to finally come to terms with their relationship. But those two aside, it was business as usual for the two heroes of Paris.

 _Heroes_ , Marinette thought. _I like the sound of that_.

* * *

"Hmm…"

Master Fu brought a cup to his lips and taste a sip of warm tea while his eyes were locked onto the pattern of black and white pieces that were strategically laid out on grid of squares. Without taking his eyes off them, he brought a new piece into play by placing it on the board with a satisfying tap.

Marinette tried to study the board, to decide if she should continue with her present strategy or make changes in anticipation of the old man's latest move. However, she was thoroughly distracted. She had already told him what amounted to her entire life story and he hadn't offered a response just yet. With a sigh of resignation, she placed her piece down where she had originally intended and hoped for the best.

"That's quite an interesting story, Ladybug." The old man took another sip of tea, taking his time to savour the bitter tastes in his mouth. "Who knew that the Miraculouses could be so powerful in the right hands?"

"Indeed, it is unheard of throughout the centuries of past Miraculous users," Wayzz said as he hovered by the table and watching their game intently. "But perhaps we are over-analysing it too much. Perhaps this is just a one-off chance, or that the significance of it is much simpler and subtler than we are meant to think."

"Perhaps, Wayzz. After all, Marinette Dupain-Chang has proven time and time again just how capable a Ladybug she can be."

"But what about Hawk Moth then?"

"Patience, Wayzz. One thing at a time. Everything comes one step at a time." Master Fu moved to place his piece on the board, eliciting an almost inaudible gasp from the holder of the Ladybug Miraculous.

"So, you aren't disappointed in me?"

"Not at all, Ladybug." Master Fu said. "Not at all."

 **END**.

* * *

 **Author's Note** : And with that, that's a wrap. First of all, I'd like to thank everyone who's followed this story from the very beginning until its conclusion. It has been quite a ride for us all (or at least I hope so). I don't know what other miraculous adventures I'll eventually put these two young and adorable idiots up with in the near future, but until then, _**À la prochaine**_!


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